Given name & surname
Salem
“one who is at peace”
Salem is used as a given name and a surname. One Arabic interpretation is “one who is at peace.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Arabic interpretation is “one who is at peace.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Arabic.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1912. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Salem through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 11,178
- 4,687 boys · 6,491 girls
- Most popular year
- 2023
- 1,174 babies
- 2025
- 1,111
- #436 for girls · #679 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +121%
- Rising fast
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 38% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 711 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 436 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 130.7% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 400 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, North Carolina had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (60). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,605 as a first name in 2020; 8,836 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.
Salem’s family of names
Salem has a related form in Salim. Salem has a related form in Saleem. Salem has a related form in Saleme.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
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 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 15
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Salem
- Salem Al-DawsariSaudi footballer (born 1991)
- Salem Al-Hajriassociation football playerborn 1996
- Salem IleseAmerican singer-songwriter (1999-)
- Salim Rubaya AliPresident of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (1934-1978)
- Salem bin LadenSaudi Arabian businessman (1946-1988)
- Salem SaadEmirati footballer (1978-2009)
- Salim ibn Abd AllahHadith narrator and grandson of caliph Umar
- Salem ChakerAlgerian linguistborn 1950
- Salem BouhagebTunisian reformist, jurisconsult and poet1827–1924
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Salem, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Ari
“resembling a lion or an eagle”
62% boys · 38% girls
Kobi
“woman from California”
56% boys · 44% girls
Aza
“one who provides comfort” · “powerful”
27% boys · 73% girls
Yona
“dove” · “resembling a dove”
62% boys · 38% girls
Mecca
Mecca is a unisex given name.
60% boys · 40% girls
Jael
“resembling a mountain goat”
49% boys · 51% girls
Armani
“one who is desired; a goal”
56% boys · 44% girls
Amen
Amen is a surname from German, ultimately from Arabic.
54% boys · 46% girls