boy's name
Salvatore
sal-vuh-TOR-ay
- Origin Italian
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 4
- Letters 9
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 61,993
the United States
#947
2025 births
Salvatore means savior, and it is a title rather than a description — Italian Catholic families gave it as a devotional name naming Christ's role directly, in the way Spanish families use Jesús. Southern Italian families carried it to America.
- Salvatore is a name of Italian origin.
- Peaked in 1927, when 1,064 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 13,315 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1888.
- 4 syllables, with the stress on syllable 3.
Salvatore 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 | 12 |
| 1890s | 86 |
| 1900s | 540 |
| 1910s | 5,976 |
| 1920s | 9,892 |
| 1930s | 6,499 |
| 1940s | 5,576 |
| 1950s | 6,090 |
| 1960s | 5,505 |
| 1970s | 4,036 |
| 1980s | 3,394 |
| 1990s | 3,175 |
| 2000s | 2,802 |
| 2010s | 2,363 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,499 |
What Salvatore means
Salvatore means savior. The Latin salvator translates a role rather than describing the bearer, so the name is devotional in the way a title is, not a personal attribute.
Where Salvatore comes from
Salvatore is the Italian salvator, a savior, from salvare, to save, and ultimately salvus, safe or whole — the root behind salvage, salvation and salute. It renders the Greek soter, the title given to Christ, so the name states a role rather than a quality. Southern Italian and Sicilian families used it heavily, often alongside a saint's day, and it traveled to America with them. Il Salvatore is still the ordinary Italian for the Savior.
Salvatore in use
Salvatore peaked in the United States in 1927, when 1,064 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now ranks 947th in the United States on 249 births, 3109th in France on 10 and 4264th in England and Wales on 5, across 61,993 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. France ran its own peak of 195 births in 1962.
How popular is Salvatore?
In 2025, Salvatore was given to 249 babies in the United States, ranking #947 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Salvatore 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.
How Salvatore is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Salvatoré | Salvatoré is a rare spelling of Salvatore, written with an acute accent and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Salvatore
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Salvatore also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Salvatore over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Salvatore
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.
Salvatore 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 Salvatore
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Salvatore — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Salvatore
What does the name Salvatore mean?
Savior — the Latin salvator, from salvare, to save.
Is it a religious name?
Devotional, yes. It names Christ's role, much as Spanish families use Jesús.
Is salvage related?
Yes — salvage, salvation and salute all come from salvus, safe or whole.
How popular is Salvatore?
947th in the United States, and stable rather than falling in our data.
Is Salvatore a girl's or a boy's name?
Salvatore is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Salvatore?
Salvatore has 4 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Salvatore?
Salvatore is usually shortened to Sal and Toto.
Is Salvatore a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Salvatore currently ranks #947 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.