NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Saalih

A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "good", "righteous", or "pious".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Saalih is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Saalih popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4270, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2019, with 8 births.

This profile covers 63 England and Wales registrations across 14 recorded years from 2005 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 50% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 63 living people in the UK are called Saalih. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Saalih ranked #4270 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 4 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2019, when 8 boys were registered as Saalih.
  • About 63 living people in the UK are estimated to have Saalih as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#4270

2024

Births in 2024

4

Latest year

Peak year

2019

8 births

Estimated living

63

2026

Meaning

What does Saalih mean?

The name Saalih has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic root word "salah," which means "to be righteous," "to be virtuous," or "to be pious." The name dates back to ancient times and is often associated with the Islamic religious tradition.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Saalih can be found in the Qur'an, the central religious text of Islam. In the Qur'an, Saalih is mentioned as a prophet who was sent to the ancient Arab tribe of Thamud. He preached monotheism and called upon his people to worship Allah (God) alone. The story of Prophet Saalih and his people is narrated in several chapters of the Qur'an, including Surah Al-A'raf (Chapter 7) and Surah Al-Shu'ara (Chapter 26).

Throughout history, several prominent figures have borne the name Saalih. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Saalih ibn Abd al-Quddus (born around 718 CE), a renowned scholar and jurist of the Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence. He was known for his expertise in Islamic law and his contributions to the development of legal theory.

Another notable figure was Saalih ibn Nasr (born around 836 CE), a prominent Arab mathematician and astronomer from Baghdad. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and wrote several influential treatises on topics such as spherical trigonometry and the calculation of planetary movements.

In the 12th century, Saalih al-Din al-Ayyubi (1137-1193 CE), better known as Saladin, was a revered Kurdish Muslim sultan and military leader. He is renowned for his victories against the Crusaders, recapturing Jerusalem in 1187 CE, and establishing the Ayyubid dynasty in Egypt and Syria.

During the 13th century, Saalih ibn Yahya al-Andalusi (1214-1284 CE) was a prominent Andalusian polymath and mathematician. He made significant contributions to the fields of astronomy, mathematics, and optics, and his works were widely studied and influential in the Islamic world and Europe.

In the 20th century, Saalih ibn Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (1876-1953 CE) was a prominent member of the Saudi royal family and the first Saudi ruler of the modern era. He played a crucial role in the unification of the Arabian Peninsula and the establishment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Saalih over time

The chart below shows babies named Saalih registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2005 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Saalih, the clearest high point is 2019. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2024, compared with 8 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Saalih
02468200520142024

Decades

Saalih by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Saalih was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #4335 19 5
2010s #3200 34 6
2000s #4008 10 3

Related

Names similar to Saalih

FAQ

Saalih: questions and answers

How popular is the name Saalih in the UK right now?

In 2024, Saalih was ranked #4270 for boys in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.

When was Saalih most popular?

The peak year on record was 2019, with 8 babies registered as Saalih in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Saalih?

A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "good", "righteous", or "pious".

How many people are called Saalih in the UK?

A total of 63 babies have been registered as Saalih across the 14 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.