Salem
Top 1000
About Salem
Salem is a biblical place-name in Canaan, believed to be the same as Jerusalem. Americans may be more familiar with Salem as the name of the Massachusetts town famous for its witch trials in the late 1600s. It's also a popular Arabic name widely-used for both genders.
In the US, the name probably is chosen for its Biblical connection more often for girls, who make up more than half the babies named Salem. On the boys' side, the alternate Arabic version Salim is used about a third of the time, while for girls the feminine Arabic versions of the name Salima and Salimah, are also found.
The Salem cigarette brand folded in 2019, removing that negative association for the next generation.
Pronounced SAY-lum.
As of October 2026, Salem ranked #436 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #417 in 2023, Nameberry popularity #658.
Editor's take: The name Salem is a girl's name meaning "safe".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #1,524 | 144 | 80.6 |
| 2015 | #1,433 | 162 | 90.8 |
| 2016 | #1,285 | 188 | 106.1 |
| 2017 | #1,196 | 204 | 118.2 |
| 2018 | #1,013 | 257 | 151.1 |
| 2019 | #749 | 377 | 224.6 |
| 2020 | #608 | 479 | 296.3 |
| 2021 | #506 | 614 | 374.2 |
| 2022 | #449 | 699 | 426.2 |
| 2023 | #417 | 734 | 457.4 |
| 2024 | #430 | 715 | 441.3 |
| 2025 | #436 | 711 | 442.4 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Salem.
Salem on lists
Salem in pop culture
- Salem
another name for Jerusalem (Ps. 76:2)
- Salem
character from the web series RWBY
- Salem
an American supernatural television series