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Salem as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Salem

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The baby name Salem is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈseɪləm/ (SAY-ləm); Arabic variant often /saˈliːm/ (sa-LEEM).

Gender: Unisex
Syllables: 2.0
Pronunciation: /ˈseɪləm/ (SAY-ləm); Arabic variant often /saˈliːm/ (sa-LEEM)

What is the meaning of the name Salem ?

The baby name Salem is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈseɪləm/ (SAY-ləm); Arabic variant often /saˈliːm/ (sa-LEEM).

Salem is in Origin.

Salem has dual roots in Semitic languages. In Hebrew, Shalem/Salem appears in the Bible as the realm of Melchizedek and is often identified with Jerusalem; it relates to shalom, conveying "peace," "wholeness," or "completion." In Arabic, Salim/Salem (and the adjective salim) means "safe, unharmed, sound." As a toponym, Salem was chosen by Puritans for several New England settlements to express a godly ideal of peace.

Usage spans cultures: as a masculine name in Arabic-speaking communities and Turkish (via Selim), and as a unisex given name and surname in English, sometimes derived from the place name - most famously Salem, Massachusetts. Variants and cognates include Shalem, Shalom, Salim/Saleem, Selim, Salima/Selima, and Salome. Modern English pronunciation varies (SAY-lem or SAH-lem). The name blends serene meaning with a spare, modern sound, while its historical layers lend depth without fixing it to one tradition.

Salem has the following similar or variant Names

Salem – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
LY 0 #7 6,350 12,703
ET Girls 0 #16 1 372
DJ 0 #17 1 322
YE 0 #23 1,661 8,639
DJ Boys 0 #35 2 657
AE 0 #42 159 10,220
KW 0 #45 75 5,216
KW Boys 0 #51 3,038 18,755
TN 0 #59 10,305 13,765
JO Boys 0 #67 1,392 7,057
AF 0 #71 6 1,883
IN 0 #71 1 2,963
AO 0 #73 5 2,729
SA 0 #75 299 10,560
MV Boys 0 #77 3 3,375
QA 0 #78 23 7,011
OM 0 #82 35 6,215
CN 0 #86 1 3,857
JO 0 #86 54 2,158
AF Girls 0 #93 2 2,402
SD 0 #97 6 2,130
TW 0 #103 1 4,523
AE Boys 0 #109 3,949 22,615
GE Boys 0 #109 2 2,055
PH 0 #110 1 5,607
IQ 0 #114 16 3,533
EG Boys 0 #122 6,758 15,035
SA Boys 0 #124 9,902 28,008
CY Boys 0 #129 3 3,473
BN Boys 0 #134 6 6,332
ID Boys 0 #135 1 4,130
PA 0 #138 1 3,797
PS Boys 0 #145 819 10,655
RS Boys 0 #148 7 2,277
MT Girls 0 #153 1 3,773
MT Boys 0 #154 23 4,064
SY 0 #161 1,657 11,684
HU Boys 0 #173 2 3,954
QA Boys 0 #174 888 18,093
Sweden Boys 2022 #181 2 1,509
HR 0 #181 1 2,081
Sweden Girls 2021 #182 2 1,666
DZ 0 #183 4,537 20,130
PS 0 #197 22 5,692
AF Boys 0 #203 69 3,535
DK 0 #204 3 5,198
SI Boys 0 #206 6 3,402
IQ Boys 0 #212 852 13,071
AO Girls 0 #214 4 4,575
LU Boys 0 #216 5 4,970
OM Boys 0 #216 1,260 17,948
BG Boys 0 #220 1 3,850
NA Boys 0 #226 10 6,830
AL Girls 0 #227 1 4,141
IL Boys 0 #230 603 10,983
MO Boys 0 #233 2 5,842
BD 0 #234 8 5,992
SD Boys 0 #236 248 10,523
NA Girls 0 #237 1 7,146
AO Boys 0 #241 9 5,568
EC Boys 0 #246 1 3,322
GR Girls 0 #249 1 6,293
EG 0 #251 179 6,387
JP Girls 0 #251 1 6,592
GR Boys 0 #253 15 6,912
Canada Girls 2024 #254 32 2,795
TW Boys 0 #254 3 7,111
HR Boys 0 #256 4 3,997
IL 0 #263 12 6,291
NG 0 #265 8 5,926
SD Girls 0 #265 81 7,678
Canada Boys 2024 #272 35 2,588
SG 0 #282 1 11,010
QA Girls 0 #287 30 15,378
KZ Boys 0 #288 9 6,578
TW Girls 0 #289 1 8,139
DK Boys 0 #290 36 7,401
JM Boys 0 #293 1 6,876
JO Girls 0 #297 29 7,570
CZ Boys 0 #301 5 6,530
JP Boys 0 #302 2 7,909
LB 0 #302 477 13,263
BH 0 #306 260 17,937
CN Boys 0 #306 14 9,639
OM Girls 0 #318 79 15,987
KZ Girls 0 #331 2 5,862
PL Boys 0 #336 5 6,459
GT 0 #338 1 5,948
KW Girls 0 #343 174 19,177
MU Boys 0 #346 12 8,477
MY 0 #348 7 12,352
CZ Girls 0 #351 1 5,378
HK 0 #355 3 8,483
GH Boys 0 #359 3 8,138
France Boys 2021 #361 27 2,865
PL Girls 0 #363 2 5,096
United States Girls 2024 #367 715 8,487
MA 0 #369 1,681 20,986
AE Girls 0 #376 178 20,968
BD Girls 0 #377 10 8,413
PT Boys 0 #380 2 7,951
Finland Boys 0 #384 44 2,041
France Girls 2020 #392 3 3,215
PH Boys 0 #400 9 11,440
MX 0 #404 10 8,339
BO 0 #407 2 6,868
UY Boys 0 #411 3 5,922
Austria Boys 0 #417 26 2,180
PH Girls 0 #425 5 13,098
IR Boys 0 #427 129 10,162
CL 0 #433 2 6,867
PS Girls 0 #476 48 10,981
AR Boys 0 #482 2 7,628
IQ Girls 0 #485 20 11,303
RU Boys 0 #494 12 12,621
GT Boys 0 #499 1 7,625
PA Boys 0 #499 7 9,305
CR Boys 0 #506 5 10,188
BD Boys 0 #509 68 10,045
CO 0 #509 2 7,768
United States Boys 2024 #512 440 7,044
SA Girls 0 #515 455 25,931
PA Girls 0 #517 2 9,861
RU Girls 0 #522 2 11,913
GT Girls 0 #541 1 7,500
IR Girls 0 #541 5 8,334
CM Girls 0 #552 9 11,671
HK Boys 0 #553 5 12,905
CM Boys 0 #568 8 12,054
CR Girls 0 #572 2 11,342
IL Girls 0 #575 43 11,648
BO Boys 0 #619 4 9,244
IN Girls 0 #622 10 13,121
AR Girls 0 #629 2 8,289
SG Girls 0 #629 4 18,916
CL Boys 0 #645 21 13,390
BO Girls 0 #647 5 9,488
HK Girls 0 #649 2 16,104
SG Boys 0 #649 49 17,960
Finland Boys 2026 #660 23 3,552
IT 0 #695 20 4,183
BR Boys 0 #740 12 12,213
EG Girls 0 #747 215 14,742
NG Girls 0 #756 31 15,093
Germany Boys 0 #791 162 5,697
Spain Boys 0 #805 126 5,610
NL Boys 0 #825 127 5,873
CL Girls 0 #829 23 14,098
NG Boys 0 #835 117 16,906
MY Boys 0 #846 269 25,439
IT Boys 0 #860 665 10,046
PE Boys 0 #863 16 14,506
IN Boys 0 #905 97 16,750
CO Boys 0 #906 15 15,656
TR 0 #918 309 19,440
NL Girls 0 #929 27 5,933
MX Boys 0 #959 24 16,355
Spain Girls 0 #973 11 5,561
BR Girls 0 #991 2 12,708
PE Girls 0 #1,009 2 14,861
CO Girls 0 #1,060 19 16,140
MY Girls 0 #1,065 8 24,821
ZA Girls 0 #1,126 16 25,928
ZA Boys 0 #1,141 38 25,619
MX Girls 0 #1,155 29 17,781
IT Girls 0 #1,412 35 9,415

Salem is popular in 84 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Canada
United States
Sweden
AE

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People also ask about Salem

Salem is a unisex name, given to both boys and girls.
Salem is a 2 syllable name, pronounced /ˈseɪləm/ (SAY-ləm); Arabic variant often /saˈliːm/ (sa-LEEM).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Salim, Saleem, Salima and Shalem.
Across languages, Salem has these equivalents: Shalom (Hebrew), Salim/Saleem (Arabic), Paz (Spanish), Pax (Latin), Irene (Greek).
Yes — Salem ranked #181 in Sweden in 2022, and appears in official birth registries across 7 countries.
Salem ranks highest in Sweden (#181 in 2022).