Fun Facts About the Name Meshilem
- 163 babies named Meshilem: U.S. records list 163 babies given the name Meshilem from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Meshilem Mean?
Meshilem is a form of the Hebrew name Meshullam (מְשֻׁלָּם), whose established meaning is "repaid" or "recompensed." The name comes from the Hebrew root sh-l-m, which carries the sense of being complete, whole, or at peace. Meshullam is a passive participle of the verb shillem, "to repay" or "to make whole," so the literal sense is "one who has been repaid" or "one who has been requited."
Because the same root also underlies shalom (peace), the name is occasionally glossed as "peaceful" or explained as "friend," but these are customary or symbolic readings rather than the literal meaning of the participle. Meshilem is not a separate root; it is a later pronunciation of Meshullam, with the vowel of the second syllable altered under Yiddish and Ashkenazi Hebrew influence.
Meshilem Name History & Origins
The Hebrew name Meshullam appears repeatedly in the Bible. In 1 Chronicles 3:19 it belongs to a son of Zerubbabel, a descendant of King David. In the book of Nehemiah, a Meshullam son of Berechiah is listed among those who repaired the wall of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 3:4), and another Meshullam stands at Ezra's side when the Law is read aloud (Nehemiah 8:4). The name also occurs in Ezra and in later rabbinic writings, indicating that it was in ordinary Jewish use during the Second Temple period and afterward.
Meshilem reflects how the name was pronounced in Yiddish-speaking Ashkenazi communities of Central and Eastern Europe, where the vowels of Hebrew names were often shifted from their biblical forms; the related Ashkenazi form Meshulem shows the same process. Jewish families carried the name into modern Israel and the diaspora, where it is used alongside the Israeli Hebrew form Meshulam. In Hasidic circles it is sometimes paired in the compound Meshilem Feish.
How Popular is the Name Meshilem?
Meshilem has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2016. Its best rank was #3,409 in 2016.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7,510 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2024 | #7,544 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2023 | #8,061 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #6,363 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2021 | #8,598 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #5,880 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2019 | #6,304 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2018 | #6,576 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2017 | #5,698 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2016 | #3,409 | 33 | 0.0017% |
| 2015 | #5,445 | 17 | 0.0009% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Meshilem Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have psychic power. You can carry on for others with joy. You have a receptive nature and may bear burdens for others. You are pragmatic, thorough, strong-willed, practical and stubborn at times. You are hard working, often martyr to duty. You like home and security above all. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Meshilem's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Meshilem's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.