Salem
From Hebrew shalem, related to shalom, meaning peace or wholeness. Genesis names a city Salem, and the word was later applied to Jerusalem.
Salem in 2025
Salem was given to 1,111 babies in the United States in 2025 — 400 boys and 711 girls, making it the 601st most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 2,984 babies born.
The history of Salem
Salem reached its highest point in 2023, when 1,174 babies were given the name, ranking 564th that year.
Across the 114 years of records since 1912, 11,178 babies have been named Salem. Half of them were born before 2020, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation Alpha.
Salem by decade
| Decade | Babies named Salem | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 36 | 4,913 |
| 1920s | 39 | 6,457 |
| 1930s | 8 | 5,825 |
| 1940s | 14 | 6,173 |
| 1950s | 11 | 7,947 |
| 1960s | 23 | 9,358 |
| 1970s | 131 | 4,897 |
| 1980s | 247 | 4,342 |
| 1990s | 471 | 3,467 |
| 2000s | 1,026 | 2,521 |
| 2010s | 2,881 | 995 |
| 2020s | 6,291 | 564 |
Where Salem is heading
Salem has risen 269% over the past decade, from 301 babies in 2015 to 1,111 in 2025.
Names like Salem
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Salem.