NameCensus.

UK name, mostly boys

Salam

An Arabic name meaning peace, greeting, or salutation.

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2017. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Also recorded as a girls' name in the UK, with 3 girls.

Salam is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Salam popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2017 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3996, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2017, with 4 births.

This profile covers 7 England and Wales registrations across 2 recorded years from 1997 to 2017. 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.

Salam is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.

We estimate that about 7 living people in the UK are called Salam. 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 2018 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Salam ranked #3996 for boys in England and Wales in 2017, with 4 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2017, when 4 boys were registered as Salam.
  • Salam is also recorded for girls, but the boys side is the larger UK variant in these records.
  • About 7 living people in the UK are estimated to have Salam as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
  • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 70.0% of Salam registrations are for boys.

Latest rank (E&W)

#3996

2017

Births in 2017

4

Latest year

Peak year

2017

4 births

Estimated living

7

2026

Gender

Boy and girl registrations for Salam

In England and Wales birth records, Salam has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 70.0% of registrations are for boys and 30.0% are for girls.

These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.

70% boys
30% girls
Boys7 (70.0%)Girls3 (30.0%)

Salam registered for boys

  • Ranked #3,996 in 2017
  • 4 boys registered in 2017
  • Peak: 2017 (4 births)

Salam registered for girls

  • Ranked #5,591 in 2019
  • 3 girls registered in 2019
  • Peak: 2019 (3 births)

Meaning

What does Salam mean?

The name Salam has its origins in the Arabic language and is derived from the word "salām," which means "peace" or "greetings." This name has been in use for centuries and can be traced back to the early days of Islam.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Salam can be found in the Quran, the holy book of Islam. The word "salām" is mentioned numerous times, often in the context of greetings or blessings. For example, in Surah Al-Nahl, verse 32, it is stated: "Their greeting on the Day they meet Him will be 'Salām' (Peace)."

During the medieval period, the name Salam was relatively uncommon but not unheard of. One notable figure who bore this name was Salam the Cupbearer, who lived in the 9th century CE and served as a court poet and companion to the Abbasid caliph Al-Mu'tazz.

In the 12th century, a prominent Muslim scholar and philosopher named Salam al-Din al-Ayubi, better known as Saladin, rose to power. He is renowned for his military campaigns against the Crusaders and for his chivalrous conduct on the battlefield.

Another famous bearer of the name Salam was the 16th-century Ottoman architect and engineer Mimar Sinan, whose full name was Sinan bin Abdulmennan, but he was often referred to as Salam. He was responsible for the construction of numerous mosques, bridges, and other architectural masterpieces throughout the Ottoman Empire.

In the 19th century, a renowned Algerian scholar and Sufi mystic named Salam Ibn Mashish gained recognition for his teachings and writings on Islamic spirituality and philosophy. He was born in 1825 and passed away in 1893.

The name Salam has also been used by other notable figures throughout history, such as Salam Shashangin, a 12th-century Persian poet and calligrapher, and Salam Abdel Salam, an Egyptian lawyer and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Egypt in the 1940s.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Salam over time

The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Salam in England and Wales, from 1997 to 2019. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Salam, the clearest high point is 2017. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2017, compared with 4 at the peak.

Babies born per year

BoysGirls
01234199720082019

Decades

Salam by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Salam 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
2010s #3996 4 1
1990s #2859 3 1

Related

Names similar to Salam

FAQ

Salam: questions and answers

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

In 2017, Salam was ranked #3996 for boys in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.

When was Salam most popular?

The peak year on record was 2017, with 4 babies registered as Salam in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Salam?

An Arabic name meaning peace, greeting, or salutation.

How many people are called Salam in the UK?

A total of 7 babies have been registered as Salam across the 2 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.