Fun Facts About the Name Salimata
- 200 babies named Salimata: U.S. records list 200 babies given the name Salimata from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Salimata Mean?
Salimata is a feminine given name of Arabic origin, used mainly in Muslim West Africa - Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Gambia, and Burkina Faso, among other countries. It is a West African form of the Arabic feminine name Salīma (سليمة), the feminine of Salīm (سليم).
Both come from the Arabic root s-l-m, whose basic sense is to be safe, sound, unharmed, or free of defect. Salīm therefore means "sound, healthy, unblemished," and Salīma means "safe and sound." That is the literal etymological meaning carried by Salimata.
A related but separate interpretation links the name to the same root as salām, "peace," so it is sometimes glossed as "peaceful." That is a customary religious association rather than the direct lexical meaning of the word behind the name.
Salimata Name History & Origins
The name entered West Africa with the spread of Islam and the Arabic language through Saharan and Sahelian trade routes, and through the scholarship and Quranic schooling that accompanied it. Arabic Salīma was adapted into the phonology of local languages, producing forms such as Salimata, Salimatu, and Selimata. The final -ta in the West African forms fits the vowel patterns of languages such as Mandinka, Bambara, Fulani, and Wolof.
The name is now widely used among Muslim families in the region, alongside the shorter form Salima. Its masculine counterpart, from Arabic Salīm, appears in the region as Salim and in some Senegalese usage as Salif; the two are related through the same Arabic root rather than through each other.
Salimata also appears as a literary character name: in Ahmadou Kourouma's novel Les Soleils des indépendances (1968), Salimata is the wife of the protagonist Fama. The name was already in ordinary use before that book, so the character should be read as a reflection of existing naming practice rather than its source.
How Popular is the Name Salimata?
Salimata 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 2025. Its best rank was #8,262 in 2025.
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 | #8,262 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2024 | #10,112 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #10,268 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2021 | #11,003 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #11,951 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2019 | #12,243 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #17,699 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2017 | #9,820 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2016 | #18,383 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #12,805 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #12,868 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2013 | #10,856 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2012 | #13,241 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #16,416 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #16,597 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #12,272 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2008 | #10,660 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2007 | #11,477 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2006 | #16,736 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2005 | #14,215 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2004 | #13,908 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #17,406 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #12,876 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1998 | #16,078 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #10,341 | 8 | 0.0005% |
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 Salimata 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.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Salimata's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Salimata's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.