Saleem
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- sa-LEEM
- Origin
- Arabic
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,859 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #2,516 for boys
Saleem is a boys' name of Arabic origin, meaning “safe, sound, flawless”. In 2025 it ranked 1,859th for boys in the UK (14 babies) and 2,516th for boys in the US (53 babies).
What does Saleem mean?
Arabic: spelling of Salim
“safe, sound, flawless”
From the Arabic root s-l-m, as in salam 'peace'; the Qur'an speaks of coming to God with a qalb salim, a sound heart.
Is Saleem a girl's or a boy's name?
Saleem is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 14 boys in the UK and 53 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Saleem in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,859th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 14 about 1 in 21,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 95% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 14 boys in the UK were named Saleem, making it the 1,859th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,819th. Its busiest year was 2002, with 14 boys.
2025 had more boys named Saleem than any year since 2017.
Half of all the boys named Saleem in the UK since 1996 were born between 2002 and 2019. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
In 2025, 37 boys in the UK were given Saleem or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #822, up from #1,859 for this spelling alone.
Among boys in 2025, it was 1,795th in England and Wales.
Saleem in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 14 | #1,859 |
| 2024 | 12 | #2,009 |
| 2023 | 13 | #1,917 |
| 2022 | 7 | #2,922 |
| 2021 | 9 | #2,434 |
| 2020 | 7 | #2,819 |
| 2019 | 5 | #3,597 |
| 2018 | 8 | #2,576 |
| 2017 | 14 | #1,822 |
| 2016 | 8 | #2,690 |
| 2015 | 11 | #2,127 |
| 2014 | 4 | #4,063 |
| 2013 | 11 | #2,033 |
| 2012 | 14 | #1,765 |
| 2011 | 6 | #3,038 |
| 2010 | 12 | #1,887 |
| 2009 | 3 | #4,691 |
| 2008 | 3 | #4,615 |
| 2007 | 6 | #2,873 |
| 2006 | 4 | #3,522 |
| 2005 | 4 | #3,330 |
| 2004 | 5 | #2,691 |
| 2003 | 8 | #1,880 |
| 2002 | 14 | #1,193 |
| 2001 | 9 | #1,547 |
| 2000 | 11 | #1,308 |
| 1999 | 7 | #1,749 |
| 1998 | 10 | #1,346 |
| 1997 | 6 | #1,853 |
| 1996 | 9 | #1,394 |
How popular is Saleem in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 2,516th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 53 about 1 in 32,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 10% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 53 boys in the US were named Saleem, making it the 2,516th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,805th. Its busiest year was 2024, with 72 boys. It first appears in the records in 1960.
Half of all the boys named Saleem in the US since 1880 were born between 1989 and 2016, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 118 boys in the US were given Saleem or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,344, up from #2,516 for this spelling alone.
Saleem in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 53 | #2,516 |
| 2024 | 72 | #2,078 |
| 2023 | 48 | #2,692 |
| 2022 | 44 | #2,871 |
| 2021 | 47 | #2,694 |
| 2020 | 43 | #2,805 |
| 2019 | 53 | #2,490 |
| 2018 | 61 | #2,229 |
| 2017 | 56 | #2,318 |
| 2016 | 43 | #2,782 |
| 2015 | 42 | #2,808 |
| 2014 | 57 | #2,297 |
| 2013 | 37 | #2,996 |
| 2012 | 36 | #3,113 |
| 2011 | 41 | #2,851 |
| 2010 | 45 | #2,681 |
| 2009 | 47 | #2,622 |
| 2008 | 36 | #3,163 |
| 2007 | 41 | #2,866 |
| 2006 | 37 | #2,978 |
| 2005 | 37 | #2,842 |
| 2004 | 45 | #2,448 |
| 2003 | 29 | #3,181 |
| 2002 | 27 | #3,255 |
| 2001 | 42 | #2,342 |
| 2000 | 29 | #2,987 |
| 1999 | 35 | #2,506 |
| 1998 | 36 | #2,391 |
| 1997 | 28 | #2,746 |
| 1996 | 32 | #2,436 |
| 1995 | 27 | #2,680 |
| 1994 | 34 | #2,302 |
| 1993 | 26 | #2,691 |
| 1992 | 30 | #2,407 |
| 1991 | 21 | #2,983 |
| 1990 | 27 | #2,483 |
| 1989 | 23 | #2,684 |
| 1988 | 32 | #1,984 |
| 1987 | 21 | #2,555 |
| 1986 | 29 | #2,005 |
| 1985 | 23 | #2,292 |
| 1984 | 20 | #2,436 |
| 1983 | 35 | #1,650 |
| 1982 | 28 | #1,928 |
| 1981 | 34 | #1,694 |
| 1980 | 62 | #1,154 |
| 1979 | 42 | #1,435 |
| 1978 | 44 | #1,393 |
| 1977 | 35 | #1,571 |
| 1976 | 18 | #2,416 |
| 1975 | 7 | #4,307 |
| 1974 | 8 | #3,835 |
| 1973 | 7 | #4,052 |
| 1972 | 11 | #2,989 |
| 1971 | 0 | – |
| 1970 | 5 | #4,722 |
| 1969 | 7 | #3,594 |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 5 | #3,964 |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 0 | – |
| 1964 | 0 | – |
| 1963 | 0 | – |
| 1962 | 0 | – |
| 1961 | 0 | – |
| 1960 | 5 | #4,036 |
Names like Saleem
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Muhammad, Hamza, Raheem, Ahmed, Abdullah, Musa, Umar, Mustafa, Hakeem, Amir, Ibrahim, Zayd
Other spellings of Saleem
Salim, Saalim
Names related to Saleem
More Arabic names
Layla, Mohammed, Lyla, Mohammad, Zara, Aaliyah, Amira, Fatima, Ali, Yahya, Zayn, Aisha, Omar, Zahra, Kairo, Safa
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Saleem: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/saleem, updated 20 October 2026.