Given name & surname
Sal
“princess; lady”·“a savior”
In English use, Sal is a short form of Sally. In English use, Sally carries the interpretation “princess; lady.” Sal is a short form of Salvador. One Latin interpretation is “a savior.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Sal is a short form of Sally. In English use, Sally carries the interpretation “princess; lady.” Sal is a short form of Salvador. One Latin interpretation is “a savior.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Spanish.
How it developed
In English use, Sal is used as a shortened form of Sally.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1909. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Sal through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 3,663
- 3,663 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1958
- 114 babies
- 2025
- 13
- #6,735 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +33%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 13 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 6,735 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 33.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 114 in 1958. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 7,124 as a first name in 2020; 513 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Sal’s family of names
In English usage, Sal is a diminutive of Sally. Sal has a related form in Salvador. Sal is a short form of Sally.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Sal has relatives in 3 languages. Lines run from its Spanish roots to each of them.
6 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Sal
- Sal MineoAmerican actor (1939-1976)
- Sal Da VinciItalian singer-songwriter and actor (born 1969)
- Sal BorgeseItalian film actor (b.1937)
- Sal BuscemaAmerican comic book artist1936–2026
- Sal ZizzoAmerican soccer playerborn 1987
- Sal AbruscatoAmerican musicianborn 1970
- Sal BartoloAmerican boxer (1917–2002)
- Sal BrintonBritish politician and life peer (born 1955)
- Sal ViscusoAmerican actorborn 1948
Characters named Sal: Sal Maroni (fictional character throughout the DC Universe).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Sal, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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