2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Saldania
Topographic surname referring to someone from the town of Saldania in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Saldania. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Saldania surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Saldania in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Saldania, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (14.9%) and Two or More Races (6.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Saldania
The surname Saldania has its origins in Spain, with the earliest records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish place name "Saldaña," a town located in the province of Palencia, in the northern region of Castile and León. The name Saldaña itself may have evolved from the Latin word "saltus," meaning a wooded area or a forest.
One of the earliest known references to the Saldania surname can be found in a manuscript from the year 1264, which mentions a certain "Pedro de Saldania" as a landowner in the region of Palencia. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the area during that time period.
In the 15th century, records show a nobleman named Juan de Saldania who served as a captain in the Spanish army during the Reconquista, the struggle to drive out the Moors from the Iberian Peninsula. His bravery and military exploits were celebrated in several contemporary chronicles.
The Saldania name also has a connection to the Spanish exploration and colonization of the Americas. In the late 16th century, a man named Diego de Saldania was part of an expedition that explored and mapped parts of present-day Argentina and Chile. His detailed accounts of the region's geography and indigenous peoples are considered valuable historical documents.
Another notable figure was María de Saldania, a 17th-century poet and playwright from Seville, whose works were highly acclaimed during her lifetime. Her plays often explored themes of love, honor, and societal norms, reflecting the cultural and artistic currents of the Spanish Golden Age.
In the 18th century, a prominent architect named Tomás de Saldania was responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in Madrid and other Spanish cities. His works, characterized by their ornate Baroque style, are still admired today for their intricate craftsmanship and attention to detail.
While the Saldania surname has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through Spanish migration and colonization. However, its historical origins and connections to places like Saldaña, as well as the notable individuals who bore this name, remain an integral part of its rich heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Saldania
Among Census respondents with the surname Saldania, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (14.9%) and Two or More Races (6.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Saldania bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Saldania surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino75.2% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander14.9% · 15
- Two or more races6.9% · 7
- White3.0% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Saldania
Saldania appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#123,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
+20 bearers (+16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 7,570 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-38 bearers (-27.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 31,474 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #123,796 | 139 | 0.05 | +20 bearers (+16.8%) | Up 7,570 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -38 bearers (-27.3%) | Down 31,474 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Saldania surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #123,796 | #155,270 | -25.4% |
| Count | 139 | 101 | -27.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.03 | -32.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Saldania bearers went from 139 to 101 (-27.3% change). The surname moved down 31,474 positions in the national ranking, going from #123,796 to #155,270.
FAQ
Saldania surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Saldania?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Saldania. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Saldania?
Saldania ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 101 people with the surname Saldania. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Saldania.
Has Saldania become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Saldania went from 139 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 38 (-27.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #123,796 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Saldania?
Among Census respondents with the surname Saldania, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (14.9%) and Two or More Races (6.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Saldania in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.2% (76 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Saldania appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (75.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (14.9%), Two or More Races (6.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Saldania (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Saldania mean?
Topographic surname referring to someone from the town of Saldania in Spain. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Saldania (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Saldania?
You can see how many people are called Saldania on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.