Salem

Meaning: Complete, whole, safe
Origin: Hebrew — From Salem, a biblical place name

Boy's name · #679 in the US (2025) · 2020s wave

37% boys · 63% girls — About 63% of babies named Salem in recent years have been girls. Salem →

Popularity over time

Salem is near its high-water mark: it reached #631 in 2023 and still ranked #679 in 2025. About 4,700 boys have carried it since 1912.

Across the states

See where Salem is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 36 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Salem ranks in other countries and regions.

#943 in Canada (2025) · #1,359 in England & Wales (2025) · #1,688 in France (2025) · #2,144 in Sweden (2025) · #4,588 in Italy (2024) · #3,314 in Austria (2024) · #1,246 in Belgium (2022) · #8,642 in Ecuador (2019) · #733 in Scotland (2017).

Famous Salems

Salem Al-Dawsari — Saudi footballer (born 1991)
Salem bin Laden — Saudi billionaire businessman (1946–1988)
Salem Al Fakir — Swedish musician, singer, songwriter (born 1981)
Salem Saleh bin Braik — Yemeni politician (born 1965)
Salem Saleh — Emirati chess player (born 1993)

In stories & tradition

Salem Saberhagen — Sabrina the Teenage Witch (comics)
Salem — Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 (video game)

What Salems become

Among 177 notable people named Salem:

Sports figures appear 2.15× more often than among typical names — e.g. Salem Al-Dawsari, Saudi footballer (born 1991).

Similar names: Zamir · Shalom · Jesiah · Avraham · Zakariya · Ezrah

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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