Salmela Family History
Salmela Name Meaning
Finnish: habitational name from farms so named from salmi ‘strait’ (compare Salmi ) + the locative ending -la. Established as a hereditary surname since the 19th century in western southern and northern Finland. Adopted also as an ornamental name during the name-changing campaigns especially in the early 20th century to replace Swedish surnames.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022