UK boy's name
Salih
A masculine Arabic name meaning "virtuous" or "righteous".
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.
Salih is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Salih popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2088, with 11 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2019, with 16 births.
This profile covers 260 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 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 69% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 258 living people in the UK are called Salih. 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
- • Salih ranked #2088 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 11 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2019, when 16 boys were registered as Salih.
- • About 258 living people in the UK are estimated to have Salih as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#2088
2024
Births in 2024
11
Latest year
Peak year
2019
16 births
Estimated living
258
2026
Meaning
What does Salih mean?
The name Salih is of Arabic origin, derived from the root word "salih" which means "pious" or "righteous". It has been a popular name in the Islamic world for centuries, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 7th century CE.
The name is mentioned in the Quran, the central religious text of Islam, as the name of a prophet sent to the ancient Arab tribe of Thamud. According to Islamic tradition, Prophet Salih preached monotheism and warned his people against idolatry and immorality.
One of the earliest known historical figures to bear the name Salih was Salih ibn Abd al-Quddus (d. 1067 CE), a renowned Islamic scholar and jurist from Baghdad. He was a prominent figure in the Shafi'i school of Islamic jurisprudence and wrote several treatises on various aspects of Islamic law.
Another notable historical figure named Salih was Salih ibn Mardanish (d. 1268 CE), a Berber ruler of the Marinid dynasty in Morocco. He played a significant role in the unification of the Maghreb region and the expansion of Marinid control over parts of the Iberian Peninsula.
In the Ottoman Empire, Salih Pasha (d. 1567) was a Grand Vizier who served under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. He is known for his involvement in the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus and his military campaigns against the Safavid Empire in Persia.
In more recent history, Salih al-Kuwaiti (1908-1993) was a prominent Kuwaiti writer, journalist, and diplomat. He served as Kuwait's ambassador to several countries and was an influential figure in the development of modern Arabic literature.
Salih bin Abdullah Al-Humaid (1939-2009) was a prominent Saudi Arabian politician and businessman who served as the Minister of Information and Culture from 1982 to 1992. He played a significant role in shaping Saudi Arabia's media and cultural policies during his tenure.
It is important to note that while the name Salih has its roots in the Arabic language and Islamic culture, it has also been adopted and used by people of various faiths and backgrounds, particularly in regions with historical Muslim influence or presence.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Salih over time
The chart below shows babies named Salih registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 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 Salih, the clearest high point is 2019. The latest England and Wales figure is 11 births in 2024, compared with 16 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Salih by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Salih 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 | #1764 | 67 | 5 |
| 2010s | #2396 | 99 | 10 |
| 2000s | #2212 | 69 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1805 | 25 | 4 |
Related
Names similar to Salih
- Samuel 108,505
- Sebastian 33,008
- Sam 20,889
- Stanley 16,354
- Sonny 15,028
- Sean 15,006
- Scott 12,587
- Seth 9,841
- Syed 9,050
- Stephen 8,884
- Spencer 8,333
- Steven 6,970
FAQ
Salih: questions and answers
How popular is the name Salih in the UK right now?
In 2024, Salih was ranked #2088 for boys in England and Wales, with 11 births registered.
When was Salih most popular?
The peak year on record was 2019, with 16 babies registered as Salih in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Salih?
A masculine Arabic name meaning "virtuous" or "righteous".
How many people are called Salih in the UK?
A total of 260 babies have been registered as Salih across the 29 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.