Saldana
A Spanish habitational surname for someone from a place called Saldaña or Saldaña.
The #1,015 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 8,966 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Saldana is the modern, simplified spelling of Spanish Saldaña, a habitational surname. It most likely points to origin in the town of Saldaña in Palencia, Spain, a place name generally explained from older local or pre-Roman elements rather than from a transparent modern Spanish word. In surname use, it simply meant someone who came from that place or was identified with it.
History
The surname is well established in Spain and spread widely through the Spanish-speaking world. In the Americas, the spelling often loses the tilde, becoming Saldana, especially in English-language records and the United States. The name is common enough in the U.S. today to reflect that long Hispanic and Latino migration history.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The tilde in Saldaña is often dropped in U.S. records, which is why many families appear as Saldana in census and immigration documents.