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Name

Salem

/SAY-lem/ UnisexHebrew

Meaning

Salem is a unisex name of Hebrew origin meaning “peace, complete”.

Salem comes from the Semitic root for peace and wholeness, the shalem in Jerusalem's own name, and appears in Genesis as the city of the priest-king Melchizedek. Massachusetts history gives the name a witchy shadow that modern parents seem to enjoy.

In the US top 1000 for girls since 2019 and increasingly given to boys.

Popularity in the United States

Girls

Ranked #435 in 2025 · peak #417 in 2023

Boys

Ranked #679 in 2025 · peak #630 in 2023

Data: US Social Security Administration, top-1000 ranks.

At a glance

Origin
Hebrew
Gender
Unisex
Pronounced
/SAY-lem/
Themes
Peace

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Questions

  • Salem is a unisex name of Hebrew origin meaning “peace, complete”. Salem comes from the Semitic root for peace and wholeness, the shalem in Jerusalem's own name, and appears in Genesis as the city of the priest-king Melchizedek.

  • Salem is a unisex name, used for both boys and girls. In the US top 1000 for girls since 2019 and increasingly given to boys.

  • The name Salem comes from Hebrew. Salem comes from the Semitic root for peace and wholeness, the shalem in Jerusalem's own name, and appears in Genesis as the city of the priest-king Melchizedek. Massachusetts history gives the name a witchy shadow that modern parents seem to enjoy.

  • Salem is pronounced SAY-lem.

More names that mean peace

Names that share this meaning.