boy's name
Salvador
sal-vuh-DOR
- Origin Spanish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 8
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 52,370
the United States
#756
2025 births
Salvador means savior, and it names a country and an ocean crossing — El Salvador is the only nation named directly for Christ, and San Salvador was the first island Columbus reached. Columbus named his first landfall for it.
- Salvador is a name of Spanish origin.
- Peaked in 1992, when 929 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 9,722 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1888.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Salvador over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 5 |
| 1890s | 17 |
| 1900s | 127 |
| 1910s | 875 |
| 1920s | 2,627 |
| 1930s | 2,037 |
| 1940s | 2,514 |
| 1950s | 3,236 |
| 1960s | 3,221 |
| 1970s | 5,208 |
| 1980s | 6,724 |
| 1990s | 8,658 |
| 2000s | 7,877 |
| 2010s | 4,486 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,176 |
What Salvador means
Salvador means savior. The Latin translates a role rather than describing a person, so the name is devotional in the way a title is, in the way a title is rather than a description.
Where Salvador comes from
Salvador is the Spanish salvator, a savior, from salvare, to save, and salvus, safe or whole — the root of salvage, salvation and salute. It renders the Greek soter, the title given to Christ. El Salvador is named for the Divine Savior of the World, the only country named directly for Christ, and Columbus gave San Salvador to the first island he made landfall on. Salvatore, elsewhere on this site, is the Italian form.
Salvador in use
Salvador peaked in the United States in 1992, when 929 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 756th in the United States on 341 births, 1194th in France on 30 and 1656th in England and Wales on 16, across 52,370 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. Our records carry it from 1888.
How popular is Salvador?
In 2025, Salvador was given to 341 babies in the United States, ranking #756 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Salvador 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 Salvador
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Salvador also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Salvador over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Salvador
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.
Salvador 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.
- Italian
- Salvatore
Sibling names for Salvador
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Salvador — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Salvador
What does the name Salvador mean?
Savior — the Latin salvator, from salvare, to save.
Is El Salvador named for it?
Yes — for the Divine Savior of the World, the only country named directly for Christ.
Is Salvatore the same name?
Yes — the Italian form of the same word.
How popular is Salvador?
756th in the United States, down from a 1992 peak of 929 births.
Is Salvador a girl's or a boy's name?
Salvador is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Salvador?
Salvador has 3 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Salvador?
Salvador is usually shortened to Salva and Chava.
Is Salvador a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Salvador currently ranks #756 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.