# Salem (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/salem/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Arabic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Arabic |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 8,404 |
| US rank (2010) | 4,215 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 36,738 people |
| Change since 2000 | +31% (6,413 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈseɪləm/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Biblical Hebrew שָׁלֵם (šālēm) (Genesis 14:18).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Salem in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 79% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 4.2% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 5.7% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 6.1% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.3% |
| Two or more races | 4.7% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Salem in Argentina, the United Kingdom, Afghanistan, France and the United States.

## People named Salem

- Carlos Salem, Argentine writer
- Pamela Salem, British actress (1944–2024)
- Milad Salem, Afghan footballer
- Mohamed Salem, Algerian footballer (1940-2008)
- Angela Salem, American soccer player

## Similar surnames

Saleem, Salim, Salama, Salaam, Salameh, Solem, Salemi, Salam, Salm, Sloan, Solano, Slone.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.