Unisex name · since 1976
Salem
Salem has 6,491 recorded births since 1976 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2023 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #2,180 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #436 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 6,491
- born since 1976
- 2020s
- peak decade
6,491 babies have been named Salem since 1976, making it today's #436 unisex name.
Social Security Administration records show Salem recorded 6,491 times among girls since 1976, holding rank #436 nationally today, ahead of 97% of girls, peaking in the 2020s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1976 to 2025.
- #2,180 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #436 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 6,491 born since 1976
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Salem ranks #2,180 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #436 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 6,491 born since 1976, peaking in the 2020s.
- #2,180 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #436 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 6,491
- born since 1976
- 2020s
- peak decade
Salem's 6,491 recorded births place it above 96.98% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
43 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by North Carolina.
How Salem compares
6,491 Top 12% higher than 88% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Salem's all-time total is 17x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Salem | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 6,491 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 734 | 21 | 19,840 |
Salem's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Salem's full recorded timeline at 2001, 94% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 6% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1982, with just 7 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2023 peak of 734 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Salem popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1976–2025
- Peak year (2023)
- 734
- Annual births at peak, across 50 years of records
Salem popularity over time - boys
4,687 total births recorded since 1912 (Salem as boys' name)
Salem by decade
2020s is the heaviest window (3,957 births, 61% of the file).
2020s was Salem's strongest decade.
3,957 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 61% of all-time use.
Salem births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 34
1970s
34 births
- 1980s 88
1980s
88 births
- 1990s 216
1990s
216 births
- 2000s 555
2000s
555 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,641 births
- 2020s
2020s
3,957 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 3,957 births (61% of all-time use).
How Salem compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Salem's total volume
Salem by state
Where Salem concentrates geographically, total births since 1976
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | North Carolina | | 628 | 9.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 552 | 8.5% |
| #3 | California | | 520 | 8.0% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 256 | 3.9% |
| #5 | Tennessee | | 237 | 3.7% |
| #6 | Florida | | 209 | 3.2% |
| #7 | Georgia | | 197 | 3.0% |
| #8 | Kentucky | | 177 | 2.7% |
628 of 6,491 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 43 reporting states.
Salem appears in 43 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Salem's data
- North Carolina records the most Salems (628 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. North Carolina names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Salem
Nearby Names Like Salem
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Salem
Compare Salem side by side: Salem vs Sally Salem vs Sallie Salem vs Salma
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Salem
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Salem: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2023)
Similar record span (~49 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1976–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Salem draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.