Salem
#435 for girls in 2025, 711 births · #679 for boys in 2025, 400 births
Given to girls 58.1% of the time
- Peak · girls
- 2023 · 734 births
- Debut · girls
- 9 births
- In top 100 · girls
- neverof 146 years
- Total births · girls
- 6,491since 1976
Salem over time
Rank within each sex, plotted together. Click any year to open it.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | #435 | 711 | #679 | 400 |
| 2024 | #429 | 718 | #631 | 442 |
| 2023 | #417 | 734 | #630 | 440 |
| 2022 | #448 | 700 | #680 | 400 |
| 2021 | #506 | 614 | #714 | 364 |
| 2020 | #608 | 480 | #806 | 288 |
| 2019 | #749 | 377 | #925 | 236 |
| 2018 | #1,009 | 257 | #1,207 | 155 |
| 2017 | #1,190 | 205 | #1,149 | 165 |
| 2016 | #1,284 | 188 | #1,245 | 149 |
| 2015 | #1,425 | 162 | #1,283 | 139 |
| 2014 | #1,519 | 144 | #1,485 | 109 |
| 2013 | #2,096 | 91 | #1,624 | 94 |
| 2012 | #2,205 | 85 | #2,016 | 69 |
| 2011 | #2,695 | 65 | #2,261 | 57 |
| 2010 | #2,670 | 67 | #2,037 | 67 |
| 2009 | #2,359 | 82 | #1,789 | 84 |
| 2008 | #2,773 | 65 | #2,467 | 51 |
| 2007 | #3,096 | 56 | #2,868 | 41 |
| 2006 | #3,090 | 54 | #2,513 | 48 |
| 2005 | #2,865 | 57 | #2,701 | 40 |
| 2004 | #3,033 | 51 | #2,024 | 59 |
| 2003 | #3,291 | 44 | #2,507 | 41 |
| 2002 | #2,709 | 56 | #2,603 | 37 |
| 2001 | #2,808 | 52 | #2,520 | 38 |
| 2000 | #3,453 | 38 | #2,805 | 32 |
| 1999 | #3,148 | 41 | #2,510 | 35 |
| 1998 | #3,173 | 39 | #2,851 | 28 |
| 1997 | #3,448 | 33 | #2,396 | 34 |
| 1996 | #4,739 | 21 | #2,483 | 31 |
| 1995 | #4,846 | 20 | #2,556 | 29 |
| 1994 | #5,445 | 17 | #2,618 | 28 |
| 1993 | #8,052 | 10 | #3,501 | 18 |
| 1992 | #6,008 | 15 | #3,920 | 15 |
| 1991 | #7,987 | 10 | #3,813 | 15 |
| 1990 | #7,880 | 10 | #2,865 | 22 |
| 1989 | #7,449 | 10 | #3,094 | 19 |
| 1988 | #6,666 | 11 | #2,197 | 28 |
| 1987 | #6,335 | 11 | #3,072 | 16 |
| 1986 | #6,612 | 10 | #3,268 | 14 |
| 1985 | #7,563 | 8 | #4,698 | 8 |
| 1984 | #5,539 | 12 | #2,706 | 17 |
| 1983 | #6,212 | 10 | #2,912 | 15 |
| 1982 | #8,224 | 7 | #4,234 | 9 |
| 1981 | — | #2,898 | 15 | |
| 1980 | #6,789 | 9 | #2,617 | 18 |
| 1979 | #7,313 | 8 | #2,465 | 19 |
| 1978 | #6,948 | 8 | #2,669 | 16 |
| 1977 | #6,340 | 9 | #3,386 | 11 |
| 1976 | #6,048 | 9 | #3,471 | 10 |
| 1975 | — | #5,464 | 5 | |
| 1974 | — | #3,120 | 11 | |
| 1973 | — | #3,694 | 8 | |
| 1972 | — | #3,622 | 8 | |
| 1971 | — | #3,370 | 9 | |
| 1970 | — | — | ||
| 1969 | — | #3,595 | 7 | |
| 1968 | — | — | ||
| 1967 | — | — | ||
| 1966 | — | #3,537 | 6 | |
| 1965 | — | — | ||
| 1964 | — | — | ||
| 1963 | — | #4,048 | 5 | |
| 1962 | — | #4,033 | 5 | |
| 1961 | — | — | ||
| 1960 | — | — | ||
| 1959 | — | — | ||
| 1958 | — | — | ||
| 1957 | — | — | ||
| 1956 | — | — | ||
| 1955 | — | — | ||
| 1954 | — | — | ||
| 1953 | — | — | ||
| 1952 | — | — | ||
| 1951 | — | #3,714 | 5 | |
| 1950 | — | #3,329 | 6 | |
| 1949 | — | — | ||
| 1948 | — | — | ||
| 1947 | — | — | ||
| 1946 | — | — | ||
| 1945 | — | — | ||
| 1944 | — | — | ||
| 1943 | — | — | ||
| 1942 | — | #2,940 | 7 | |
| 1941 | — | — | ||
| 1940 | — | #2,871 | 7 | |
| 1939 | — | — | ||
| 1938 | — | — | ||
| 1937 | — | — | ||
| 1936 | — | — | ||
| 1935 | — | — | ||
| 1934 | — | — | ||
| 1933 | — | — | ||
| 1932 | — | — | ||
| 1931 | — | #2,864 | 8 | |
| 1930 | — | — | ||
| 1929 | — | — | ||
| 1928 | — | — | ||
| 1927 | — | — | ||
| 1926 | — | #3,139 | 8 | |
| 1925 | — | — | ||
| 1924 | — | #3,260 | 8 | |
| 1923 | — | #4,239 | 5 | |
| 1922 | — | #3,872 | 6 | |
| 1921 | — | #3,517 | 7 | |
| 1920 | — | #4,286 | 5 | |
| 1919 | — | #3,115 | 8 | |
| 1918 | — | #2,398 | 12 | |
| 1917 | — | — | ||
| 1916 | — | #3,897 | 5 | |
| 1915 | — | #3,392 | 6 | |
| 1914 | — | — | ||
| 1913 | — | — | ||
| 1912 | — | #2,544 | 5 | |
| 1911 | — | — | ||
| 1910 | — | — | ||
| 1909 | — | — | ||
| 1908 | — | — | ||
| 1907 | — | — | ||
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| 1884 | — | — | ||
| 1883 | — | — | ||
| 1882 | — | — | ||
| 1881 | — | — | ||
| 1880 | — | — | ||
The first year at least five girls were named Salem! It came in at #6,048, and was given to 9 baby girls.
Quietest stretch: 1981, when fewer than 5 girls a year got the name.
Where Salem is popular in 2023
- Rank in state
- Top 10
- 11–50
- 51–100
- 101–500
- 501+
- Not published
Hover or tap a state for its numbers.
- West Virginia#126 · 1 in 392
- North Carolina#154 · 1 in 694
- Maine#156 · 1 in 427
- Oklahoma#156 · 1 in 629
- Tennessee#179 · 1 in 769
Best ever in a state: #124 in West Virginia, 2025.
Show every state
| State | Rank | Births | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | #126 | 13 | 1 in 392 |
| North Carolina | #154 | 64 | 1 in 694 |
| Maine | #156 | 7 | 1 in 427 |
| Oklahoma | #156 | 23 | 1 in 629 |
| Tennessee | #179 | 41 | 1 in 769 |
| North Dakota | #191 | 5 | 1 in 496 |
| South Dakota | #203 | 5 | 1 in 556 |
| Kentucky | #205 | 22 | 1 in 769 |
| Indiana | #212 | 32 | 1 in 870 |
| Kansas | #243 | 13 | 1 in 869 |
| Utah | #259 | 16 | 1 in 1,011 |
| Arkansas | #267 | 11 | 1 in 947 |
| Nebraska | #276 | 8 | 1 in 871 |
| Alabama | #282 | 17 | 1 in 1,094 |
| Colorado | #310 | 18 | 1 in 1,201 |
| New Mexico | #318 | 5 | 1 in 943 |
| Nevada | #321 | 8 | 1 in 1,112 |
| Arizona | #337 | 20 | 1 in 1,404 |
| Louisiana | #344 | 14 | 1 in 1,253 |
| Ohio | #366 | 31 | 1 in 1,515 |
| Missouri | #370 | 16 | 1 in 1,468 |
| Idaho | #380 | 5 | 1 in 1,298 |
| Washington | #400 | 17 | 1 in 1,662 |
| Pennsylvania | #405 | 27 | 1 in 1,728 |
| Connecticut | #411 | 7 | 1 in 1,630 |
| Michigan | #440 | 19 | 1 in 1,857 |
| Georgia | #484 | 23 | 1 in 1,973 |
| Minnesota | #498 | 10 | 1 in 2,095 |
| Oregon | #527 | 6 | 1 in 2,056 |
| Mississippi | #539 | 5 | 1 in 1,891 |
| Maryland | #558 | 9 | 1 in 2,321 |
| Iowa | #575 | 5 | 1 in 2,349 |
| Illinois | #584 | 17 | 1 in 2,621 |
| Texas | #586 | 58 | 1 in 2,796 |
| Wisconsin | #591 | 8 | 1 in 2,554 |
| California | #601 | 54 | 1 in 3,054 |
| Virginia | #621 | 12 | 1 in 2,768 |
| Florida | #622 | 27 | 1 in 3,151 |
| South Carolina | #812 | 5 | 1 in 3,581 |
| New York | #1,148 | 12 | 1 in 6,479 |
| Alaska | — | — | — |
| Delaware | — | — | — |
| District of Columbia | — | — | — |
| Hawaii | — | — | — |
| Massachusetts | — | — | — |
| Montana | — | — | — |
| New Hampshire | — | — | — |
| New Jersey | — | — | — |
| Rhode Island | — | — | — |
| Vermont | — | — | — |
| Wyoming | — | — | — |
Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.
See more about Salem
- 6 spots since 2024 (#429 → #435)
- 173 spots since 2020 (#608 → #435)
- 990 spots since 2015 (#1,425 → #435)
- Biggest jump: 260 spots in 2019 (#1,009 → #749)
- Biggest drop: 12 spots in 2024 (#417 → #429)
- Debuted 1976
- Peaked 2023 at #417 (734 births)
- Not yet halved from its peak
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: never
- Top 1,000: 7 yrs · run 2019–2025
- Highest: 1 in 2,186 girls born in 2023 were named Salem (0.05%)
- Latest: 1 in 2,261 girls born in 2025 (0.04%)
- 61.0% of all girls named Salem (3,957) were born in this decade
- Mostly boys until 2013, mostly girls since
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 34 | #6,048 (1976) | #6,662 |
| 1980s | 88 | #5,539 (1984) | #6,821 |
| 1990s | 216 | #3,148 (1999) | #5,473 |
| 2000s | 555 | #2,359 (2009) | #2,948 |
| 2010s | 1,641 | #749 (2019) | #1,684 |
| 2020s | 3,957 | #417 (2023) | #474 |
All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.
Salem in 2023
Top girls' names in 2023
Top boys' names in 2023
More about 2023
girls
1,604,582 girls got a published name in 2023; 1 in 2,186 of them was named Salem, which outranked 97.6% of the 17,615 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 7.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.
boys
1,710,576 boys got a published name in 2023; 1 in 3,888 of them was named Salem, which outranked 95.6% of the 14,215 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 7.8% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).