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    The surname Salem

    An Arabic surname, carried by 8,404 people in the United States.

    Pronounced /ˈseɪləm/ 2 syllables Soundex S450 Also a first name

    Salem: #4,215 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#10Martinez#100Jimenez#1,000Archer#10,001Dubon Salem #4,215, 8,404 people Salem: #4,215 of 162,253 surnames in the 2010 US Census #1Smith#160,975Doriott#100Jimenez Salem #4,215, 8,404 people
    Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Salem is more common than 97.4% of them.

    Origin

    Arabic origin

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

    One of 179 Arabic surnames on this site.

    Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    How common it is

    2010 US Census

    There were 8,404 people named Salem in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 36,738 Americans. That is up 31% since 2000, when the Census counted 6,413.

    #4,215
    rank among US surnames
    8,404
    people in 2010
    2.9
    per 100,000 Americans
    +31%
    change since 2000 (was #5,019)
    RankSurnamePeople1 in
    #4,206Sandlin8,42136,664
    #4,207Sherrod8,42036,668
    #4,208Herbst8,41936,672
    #4,209Monge8,41836,677
    #4,210Sandberg8,41636,686
    #4,211Swope8,41536,690
    #4,212Covey8,41436,694

    Who is named Salem

    Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

    79% of people named Salem identified as white (not Hispanic), 6.1% as Asian and Pacific Islander and 5.7% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

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

    Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

    Famous Salems

    5 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Carlos Salem
      Argentine writer, born 1959
    • Pamela Salem
      British actress (1944–2024)
    • Milad Salem
      Afghan footballer, born 1988
    • Mohamed Salem
      Algerian footballer (1940-2008)
    • Angela Salem
      American soccer player, born 1988

    Notable Salems come mostly from Argentina (1), the United Kingdom (1) and Afghanistan (1).

    Spellings and sound-alikes

    Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

    Surnames that sound like Salem

    Salem has the Soundex code S450, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code S450.

    Other Arabic surnames

    All 179 Arabic surnames

    Questions

    Where does the surname Salem come from?
    From Biblical Hebrew שָׁלֵם (šālēm) (Genesis 14:18).
    How common is the surname Salem?
    8,404 people in the United States had the surname Salem in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 36,738 Americans. It ranked 4,215th of 162,253 surnames.
    What ethnicity is the surname Salem?
    In the 2010 Census, 79% of people named Salem identified as white (not Hispanic), and 6.1% as Asian and Pacific Islander.
    Who is the most famous person named Salem?
    Carlos Salem, Argentine writer, followed by Pamela Salem.
    Where is the surname Salem most common?
    Wikidata records people named Salem in Argentina, the United Kingdom and Afghanistan and 2 other countries.
    How do you pronounce Salem?
    Salem is /ˈseɪləm/, 2 syllables.
    Is the surname Salem getting more or less common?
    More common. 6,413 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 8,404 in 2010, up 31%.
    Is Salem also a first name?
    Yes. Salem is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.