Girls' name · since 1894
Salley
Since 1894, U.S. Social Security records show 416 babies named Salley, peaking in 1952. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #13,217 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 416
- born since 1894
- 1950s
- peak decade
Salley sits outside today's top ranks for girls, with 416 recorded since 1894.
Salley has 416 recorded births among girls since 1894, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1894 to 1985.
- #13,217 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 416 born since 1894
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Salley ranks #13,217 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 416 born since 1894, peaking in the 1950s.
- #13,217 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 416
- born since 1894
- 1950s
- peak decade
Salley's 416 recorded births place it above 81.72% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 1 jurisdictions, led by South Carolina.
Salley's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Salley splits its recorded history at 1944: 54% of all births land in the more recent half, 46% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1922 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1952 peak of 17 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Salley popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1894–1985
- Peak year (1952)
- 17
- Annual births at peak, across 92 years of records
Salley by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (90 births, 22% of the file).
1950s was Salley's strongest decade.
90 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Salley births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 6
1890s
6 births
- 1910s
1910s
46 births
- 1920s
1920s
44 births
- 1930s
1930s
59 births
- 1940s
1940s
85 births
- 1950s
1950s
90 births
- 1960s
1960s
47 births
- 1970s 31
1970s
31 births
- 1980s 8
1980s
8 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 90 births (22% of all-time use).
Salley by state
Where Salley concentrates geographically, total births since 1894
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | South Carolina | | 5 | 1.2% |
5 of 416 births nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Salley's data
- Salley's decade-level peak was the 1950s (90 total births); usage has since declined to 8 in the 1980s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- South Carolina records the most Salleys (5 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. South Carolina names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Salley
Nearby Names Like Salley
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Salley
Compare Salley side by side: Salley vs Sally Salley vs Sallie Salley vs Salma
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Salley: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1952)
Similar record span (~91 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, 1894–1985 (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 Salley 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.