Salman
Meaning
safe, secure (from salaam); famously borne by Salman Rushdie, novelist known for Midnight's Children
The story
Salman is an Arabic name from the same root as salaam, peace, usually glossed as safe or secure, and its roots run deep: Salman al-Farsi was a revered companion of the Prophet Muhammad in the seventh century. In modern letters the name means Salman Rushdie. His 1981 novel Midnight's Children, the story of children born at the exact moment of India's independence, won the Booker Prize and was later twice voted the best winner in the prize's history; his books braid history, myth, and mischief into a style that reshaped the English-language novel. The name is common across South Asia and the Middle East, yet in American records it barely registers, first charting in the 2020s. That leaves Salman a genuinely rare pick in the US: gentle in meaning, global in reach, and unmistakably literary.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Salman peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
25 people · the #106,978 first name in Brazil · median age 34
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Salman
Most people given the name Salman 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.
The Salman deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Salman 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 Salman fits with your family’s names and surname.
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