Fun Facts About the Name Salama
- 47 babies named Salama: U.S. records list 47 babies given the name Salama from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Salama Mean?
Salama is an Arabic name meaning "safety," "security," and "soundness" - the state of being unharmed and free from danger. It is the noun salāma (سلامة), built on the root s-l-m that also yields salām ("peace") and islām. The related verb salima means "to be safe, sound, whole," so the literal sense is closer to soundness and well-being than to peace in the political sense, even though "peace" is a common English rendering of the name.
In Arabic it is normally a woman's name, written with the feminine ending -a. Salamah (سلمة), a related form from the same root, is usually a man's name. In Swahili, spoken along the East African coast, salama is an ordinary word for "peace, safety, good health," and it is also used as a given name, chiefly for girls, in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zanzibar.
The identical Finnish word salama, "lightning," appears as a surname and has no connection to the Arabic name. Hebrew shalom and Aramaic shlama share the Semitic root š-l-m with salāma, which is why their meanings overlap, but they are separate words in separate languages rather than the same name.
Salama Name History & Origins
Personal names formed from s-l-m go back to the earliest Islamic period. In 7th-century Arabia the kunyas Abu Salama ("father of Salama") and Umm Salama ("mother of Salama") were in use; Umm Salama was one of the wives of Muhammad, and her first husband was known as Abu Salama. The kunya form indicates that Salama was already a personal name at that time.
From Arabic the word and the name traveled with Islam and trade. Arabic-speaking merchants and settlers on the East African coast brought it into Swahili, where salama became a common noun for peace, safety, and good health and, among Muslim families, a given name. The same Arabic word entered Malay and Indonesian as selamat ("safe, well," used constantly in greetings), and it appears in Malagasy as salama, "well, healthy," also used in greetings - a borrowing generally tied to Indian Ocean trade.
As a given name, Salama is used across the Arabic-speaking world, including Egypt, Sudan, the Levant, and the Arabian Peninsula, usually for women, while the same word also serves as a family name (spelled Salama or Salameh) in several of those countries. In East Africa it belongs mainly to Swahili-speaking Muslim communities of the coast and islands.
How Popular is the Name Salama?
Salama 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 2022. Its best rank was #7,772 in 1975.
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 | #16,839 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2022 | #11,080 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #14,952 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #17,082 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2017 | #17,993 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #18,382 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1975 | #7,772 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1974 | #9,871 | 5 | 0.0003% |
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 Salama Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are spiritually intense and can sting or charm. Your name brings love and new starts into life and attracts money. In business, you are the creator and promoter of original ideas and usually enjoy considerable financial success. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are always looking for an opportunity to achieve financial and emotional security. You are basically peacemaker. You understand the law of harmony and desire to balance your life with those around you. You may feel incomplete without someone to share your love, ideals, wealth or work. You can be very sensitive and could appear a bit shy and perceptive. You have developed intuition, patience and the ability to nurture others. You can achieve the state of happiness if you are willing to accept your needs in a complimentary relationship and go to create them.
✦ Salama's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Salama's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.