2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Salden
A locational surname derived from a place name, possibly originating from the Old English words "sæl" (hall or mansion) and "denu" (valley).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Salden. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Salden 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Salden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Salden, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.9%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Salden
The surname SALDEN is believed to have originated in the county of Lancashire, England, during the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century. It is thought to be a locational name derived from the place name "Salden", referring to a small village or hamlet in that region.
The name itself may have its roots in Old English words, potentially combining elements such as "sald" meaning "willow" and "denu" meaning "valley", suggesting a possible interpretation of "willow valley" or a place where willows grew in abundance. However, the exact derivation remains uncertain due to the passage of time and variations in spelling over the centuries.
One of the earliest known records of the SALDEN name can be found in the Lancashire Assize Rolls from the year 1412, where a certain Robert de Salden is mentioned as a landowner in the area. This provides evidence that the name was already established in the region during the late Middle Ages.
In the 16th century, the SALDEN surname appears in various parish registers and tax records across Lancashire, indicating the family's continued presence in the area. One notable bearer of the name during this time was John SALDEN (c. 1530-1595), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Preston, Lancashire.
As the centuries progressed, members of the SALDEN family dispersed throughout England and beyond, with some even traveling to the American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries. One such individual was William SALDEN (1625-1698), who settled in Virginia and became a prominent tobacco planter.
Other notable figures with the SALDEN surname include:
1. Robert SALDEN (1790-1867), a British architect and surveyor who designed several churches and public buildings in London.
2. Charlotte SALDEN (1823-1899), an English author and poet known for her romantic novels and poetry collections.
3. James SALDEN (1848-1923), a British military officer who served in the Indian Army and was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery during the Second Anglo-Afghan War.
4. Margaret SALDEN (1877-1962), an American suffragist and activist who campaigned for women's right to vote in the early 20th century.
5. Charles SALDEN (1901-1987), a renowned British botanist and horticulturist who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and conservation.
While the SALDEN surname has its origins in a specific region of England, it has since spread across the globe, carried by generations of individuals who have left their mark on various fields and professions throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Salden
Among Census respondents with the surname Salden, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.9%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Salden 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 Salden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.6% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino12.9% · 15
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Salden
Salden 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-16 bearers (-12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,475 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+5 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,319 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.6%) | Down 23,475 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.5%) | Up 3,319 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 Salden 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 | #148,347 | #145,028 | 2.2% |
| Count | 111 | 116 | 4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Salden bearers went from 111 to 116 (+4.5% change). The surname moved up 3,319 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #145,028.
FAQ
Salden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Salden?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Salden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Salden?
Salden ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 116 people with the surname Salden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Salden.
Has Salden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Salden went from 111 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 5 (+4.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Salden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Salden, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.9%) and Black (1.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Salden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Salden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.6%), Hispanic (12.9%), Black (1.7%). 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 Salden (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 Salden mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name, possibly originating from the Old English words "sæl" (hall or mansion) and "denu" (valley). 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 Salden (0.04 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 many people are called Salden?
Want to know how many people are called Salden? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.