Unisex · #3,205 in 2026

Salah

Salah, Salaah, or Saalah is a masculine given name and surname of Arabic and Biblical origins. Its meaning in the Bible is 'mission', or 'sending', whereas the Arabic meaning is 'righteousness', 'goodness', or 'peace'. Notable people with the name include:

  • Arabic
  • Biblical
Current Rank
#3,205
Peak Rank
#2,626 (2019)
Total Babies
1K
5-Yr Trend
+9%
👧 Girl peak #4,514 (233 total)
👦 Boy peak #2,626 (1K total)
👦As Boy Name
1972
First Year
2026
Last Year
2019
Peak Year
#2626
Peak Rank
1K
Total Count
51
Years Active
👧As Girl Name
2002
First Year
2026
Last Year
2026
Peak Year
#4514
Peak Rank
233
Total Count
17
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Salah

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Salah, Salaah, or Saalah is a masculine given name and surname of Arabic and Biblical origins. Its meaning in the Bible is 'mission', or 'sending', whereas the Arabic meaning is 'righteousness', 'goodness', or 'peace'. Notable people with the name include:

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • Arabic
  • Biblical

The Story of Salah

As a girl name

Salah first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 2002, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2026: 31 births, good for #4,514 nationwide. About 67% of every Salah on record arrived during the 2020s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Salah ranks #4,514 for girls with 31 births, rising sharply (+99% over the past five years). All told, over 233 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 2000s to the 2020s.

As a boy name

American parents first put Salah on the record books as a boy name in 1972, with 6 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2019, when 49 Salahs were born — ranking #2,626 that year. About 30% of every Salah on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Salah ranks #3,205 for boys with 38 births, gradually rising (+9%). All told, over 1K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Girls Boys

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Variants & Related Forms of Salah

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Salah. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Salah

Phonetically similar names — useful when Salah is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Salah

What does the name Salah mean?
Salah, Salaah, or Saalah is a masculine given name and surname of Arabic and Biblical origins. Its meaning in the Bible is 'mission', or 'sending', whereas the Arabic meaning is 'righteousness', 'goodness', or 'peace'. Notable people with the name include:
What is the origin of the name Salah?
Salah has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Arabic, Biblical.
How popular is Salah in 2026?
In 2026, Salah ranks #3,205 among boys' names in the U.S., with 38 babies given the name that year.
When was Salah most popular?
Salah reached its peak popularity in 2019, ranking #2,626 that year with 49 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Salah most popular?
Salah has historically been most popular in Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Salah.
Is Salah a unisex name?
Yes — Salah is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 18% of Salahs assigned female and 82% assigned male historically.
What names go well with Salah?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Salah include Kavan, Mynor, Cainan. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Salah?
Common variants and related forms of Salah include Shelah. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Salah

Salah is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1972 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Salah's peak popularity came in 2019 when it ranked #2,626. Use the chart and map above to compare Salah's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.