Salcedo
A Spanish surname from place names tied to willow-lined, damp lowland ground near rivers.
The #1,967 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 16,792 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Salcedo is a Spanish habitational surname linked to a place name rather than directly to a personal characteristic. The 1907 source glosses it as land that is moist, usually near rivers, and covered with trees where willows grow naturally. That fits a toponymic sense built from Spanish words for willow or willow grove, so the name likely meant someone from such a place.
History
The surname is strongly associated with the noble Basque-Castilian house of Salcedo, which later chroniclers traced back to the 12th century. The excerpts also note a family tradition that García Galíndez was the first to adopt the surname around 1170. Over time, Salcedo spread beyond its original Iberian setting and is now common in Spanish-speaking countries and among Spanish diaspora communities.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Spanish surname dictionaries sometimes treat Salcedo alongside other landscape surnames such as Salas, Salinas, and Robledo, all rooted in features of the local terrain.
From the historical record
“Salaun. Snlomou (Bret.). Salbat. S.iuvé (oc>. Salcedo. Saulaie (Esp.). Salendre. Vov. Salandre Salmon. 1 Saumon (oit); 2"abr. de Salomon (Nord) : 3" uom de”
— Dictionnaire des noms (French surnames)