Salma

Did you know?

A few things about Salma you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Salma

Salma Hayek

Mexican and American actress (born 1966)

Choose Salma and your child shares a first name with Salma Hayek, a Mexican and American actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Salma, like who?” Salma Hayek's Wikipedia article is available in 105 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Salma Hayek on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Martin Kraft, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 5,780 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Salma, 278 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Salma would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistorySalma first shows up in US birth records in 1918, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 107 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 1999, when it reached #569.
• 🚀TrendSalma has climbed 110 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #936. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedSalma is most popular in Minnesota, where it ranks #285, followed by Maryland (#459) and Florida (#482). It's in the top 1,000 in 13 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Arabic, Salma means “safe, peaceful”. Our records link it to African, Arabic and Spanish roots.

About the name Salma

Salma is a girl name of African, Arabic and Spanish origin meaning “safe, peaceful”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with S and ending in “-lma”. US birth records list Salma for girls from 1918 to 2025, in 54 of those 108 years. Its best year was 1999, when it ranked #569 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #936, with 278 babies.

Origin:African namesArabic namesSpanish namesSwahili names