Salem
Torn between Salem and another name? Compare them side by side →
Meaning
in its English route, from biblical Shalem, "complete, safe, peaceful"
The story
Salem has distinct routes that meet in the same Latin-letter spelling. In Arabic, it can represent the personal name also written Salim, with the sense of “safe,” “sound” or “intact.” Modern English use can instead come from the biblical place-name Salem, through Hebrew Shalem, associated with completeness or peace. The spelling alone cannot tell us which history belongs to an individual bearer.
Genesis presents Melchizedek as the king of Salem and a priest who brings bread and wine and blesses Abram after his return from conflict. That Salem is usually identified with Jerusalem.
Salem later became the name of several North American towns. English settlers established Salem in Massachusetts at Naumkeag, an already inhabited Indigenous place. In 1692, witchcraft accusations developed in Salem Village, now Danvers; the trials and hangings took place in Salem Town. Of those accused, 19 people were hanged and 1 was pressed to death. A replacement court rejected testimony based on alleged supernatural appearances, a change that helped bring the prosecutions to an end.
Sabrina’s Salem Saberhagen is a fictional association with its own changing history. In Archie’s account, a wizard is turned into a cat as punishment for trying to take over the world. The original orange, non-speaking cat changed toward the black, talking version familiar from the television sitcom.
How popular is Salem around the world?
In the United States, 6,291 babies were named Salem between 2020 and 2025.
Salem is on the official records of the United States, Canada, South Australia, England and Wales, France, Mexico City, Spain, Argentina and Brazil.
United States
1 in 3,500
In the United States, 6,291 babies were named Salem between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Salem peaked in the 2020s. In 2025 Salem went to 711 girls and 400 boys in the US Social Security record, one of the few names given to girls and boys in nearly equal numbers.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Canada
1 in 5,500
In Canada, 35 boys named Salem were born in 2024, the 756th most common name among boys that year.
In Canada, 32 girls named Salem were born in 2024, the 870th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
South Australia
1 in 18,0002017
In South Australia, 1 girl was registered as Salem in 2017.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
England and Wales
1 in 29,000
In England and Wales, 20 boys named Salem were born in 2025, ranked 1,359th among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
France
1 in 32,000
In France, about 20 boys named Salem were born in 2025, ranked 1,718th among boys that year.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)
Mexico City City
1 in 59,000
In Mexico City, there were 2 registrations of Salem in 2022.
The count never rose above 6 in a year, too few to chart.
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
Spain
1 in 95,000
In Spain, 474 residents are named Salem, ranked 2,395th among men, with a mean age of 39.8 years.
Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025
Argentina
1 in 220,000
In Argentina, 3 newborns were given the name Salem in 2024.
The count never rose above 5 in a year, too few to chart.
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
Brazil
1 in 1M
At the 2022 census, 237 people in Brazil were named Salem, ranked 22,529th, with a median age of 36.
Among people named Salem living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1990s than in any other decade.
people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth
People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
Austria
last on record 2024
Salem is not on the 2025 record for Austria, which publishes every first name down to a single birth, so the name was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
Chile
last on record 2020
Salem is not on the 2021 record for Chile, where nametree keeps the spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year.
The count never rose above 7 in a year, too few to chart.
First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021
Montevideo City
last on record 2009
Salem is not on the 2011 record for Montevideo, whose registry withholds nothing, so the spelling was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.
Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial
Scotland
last on record 2017
Salem is not on the 2024 record for Scotland, where spellings under 3 in total are suppressed at source.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
Not on the record in Puerto Rico, Ireland, New Zealand and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Salem
Most people given the name Salem in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Keep exploring
Names like Salem · Gentle names · Gender-neutral names · Truly unisex names
The Salem deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Salem truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Salem fits with your family’s names and surname.
Does Salem fit YOUR family?
nametree reads your family’s names and finds the ones that belong. Free, private, no ads.
Add Salem to your family’s tree →