unisex name
Salem
SAY-lum
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 14,043
the United States
#436
2025 births
Salem is a unisex name of Hebrew origin meaning "complete" or "at peace". It is the ancient name of Jerusalem in Genesis, and it shares a root with shalom — though for many English speakers it now carries the Massachusetts witch trials instead.
- Salem is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 2023, when 1,174 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,984 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1912.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Salem over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 36 |
| 1920s | 39 |
| 1930s | 8 |
| 1940s | 14 |
| 1950s | 11 |
| 1960s | 23 |
| 1970s | 131 |
| 1980s | 247 |
| 1990s | 471 |
| 2000s | 1,026 |
| 2010s | 2,881 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 6,291 |
What Salem means
Salem means whole, complete or at peace, from the Hebrew shalem. It is the same root as shalom, where the sense of peace is really a sense of nothing missing.
Where Salem comes from
Salem appears in Genesis as the city of Melchizedek, and Psalm 76 places it in parallel with Zion, which is why it is traditionally identified with Jerusalem before the name Jerusalem itself. The root shalem means whole or complete, and the related shalom means peace in the same sense — a state where nothing is lacking. Puritan settlers gave the name to Salem, Massachusetts, precisely for that meaning, which is an irony given what happened there in 1692. It is also used as a given name in Arabic as Salim, from the same Semitic root, meaning safe or sound.
Salem in use
Salem charts in only four of the seven countries we track and peaked in 2023.
How popular is Salem?
In 2025, Salem was given to 1,111 babies in the United States, ranking #436 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Salem is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Salem
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Salem also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Salem over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Salem
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Salem in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Salem
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Salem — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Salem
What does the name Salem mean?
Complete or at peace, from the Hebrew shalem — the same root as shalom.
Is Salem in the Bible?
Yes. It is the city of Melchizedek in Genesis and is traditionally identified with Jerusalem.
Is Salem a boy's or a girl's name?
Both, and used fairly evenly in modern English.
How popular is the name Salem?
In 2025, Salem was given to 1,111 babies in the United States, ranking #436 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Salem?
Salem has 2 syllables.
When was Salem most popular?
Salem peaked in 2023, when 1,174 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Salem?
Salem is usually shortened to Sal.
Is Salem a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Salem currently ranks #436 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.