Given name & surname
Salli
“princess; lady”
In French use, Salli has a related form in Sally. In English use, Sally carries the interpretation “princess; lady.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In French use, Salli has a related form in Sally. In English use, Sally carries the interpretation “princess; lady.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Salli connects to the Sarah name family through Sally. Sarah comes from Hebrew biblical tradition and is the name given to Abraham’s wife in Genesis.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
Salli connects to the Sarah name family through Sally. The shared background comes through Sarah: In the biblical account, Sarai is renamed Sarah as part of a blessing. Later Irish and Scottish uses sometimes adopted Sarah in place of local Gaelic names, a separate practice from its Hebrew origin.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1938. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Salli connects to the Sarah name family through Sally. The history of Sarah gives this family its wider story. Sarah is remembered in Genesis as Abraham’s wife and Isaac’s mother. Sarah’s later local adaptations included use for Sorcha in Ireland and Mor in Scotland, showing how an established biblical name could serve different naming traditions.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Salli through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 679
- 0 boys · 679 girls
- Most popular year
- 1956
- 31 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 1991. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 31 in 1956. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 647 as a first name in 2020; 116 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.
Salli’s family of names
In French usage, Salli has a related form in Sally. In Finnish usage, Salli was borrowed from the English form Sally. In Finnish usage, Salli as a surname has a related form in Sällinen.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Salli has relatives in 4 languages.
3 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 2
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.
People named Salli
- Salli Richardson-WhitfieldAmerican actress and director (born 1967)
- Salli SaffiotiAmerican actressborn 1976
- Salli TerriNorth American singer and arranger1922–1996
- Salli SachseAmerican actor (born 1946)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Salli, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Shary
“princess”
>99% girls
Bethie
“God is my oath” · “My God is bountiful”
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Sarita
“princess”
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Lise
“resembling a rising salmon”
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Lis
“resembling a rising salmon” · “God is my oath”
>99% girls
Buffie
“my God is bountiful”
>99% girls
Sady
“princess; lady”
>99% girls
Liesl
“my God is bountiful” · “God is my oath”
>99% girls