Salma is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Salma means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Salma across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Salma has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Salma is a girl name of Arabic origin meaning “safe, peaceful”. An Arabic name related to salaam meaning peace.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 10,316 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 2,661 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 63 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 67 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Salma per year, United States (1918 to 2025). United States peaked in 1999 (442/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2007 (142/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2017 (8/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2007 (6/yr).
Salma is an uncommon baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1999, when it ranked #1,051 nationally (given to 524 babies that year).
Selma · Zelma · Salem · Psalm · Salome · Zulema · Zulma · Sulema
Not sure if it's the one? The best way to know is to see if your partner loves it too. Swipe baby names with your partner and match on the ones you both ❤️, free, no account needed to start.
Find your name together →