Saladin
A masculine Arabic name meaning "one of integrity and righteousness".
Name Census estimates that about 161 living Americans carry the first name Saladin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Saladin today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Saladin births was 1966 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Saladin. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
161
~ 1 in 2,128,909 Americans
Peak year
1966
12 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
2022 SSA rank
#13,968
Tracked since 1960
Popularity
Saladin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Saladin from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 62 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Saladin by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Saladin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Saladins live
Origin
Meaning and history of Saladin
The name Saladin has its origins in the Kurdish and Arabic languages, tracing back to the late medieval period of the 12th century. It is derived from the Arabic word "salahuddeen," which translates to "righteousness of the faith." The name rose to prominence during the time of the Crusades, particularly associated with the celebrated Muslim Sultan Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, known in the West as Saladin.
Saladin was born in 1137 in Tikrit, modern-day Iraq, and went on to become the first sultan of Egypt and Syria. He is renowned for his military campaigns against the Crusaders, ultimately recapturing Jerusalem in 1187 after nearly a century of Christian rule. Saladin's chivalry, wisdom, and leadership skills have been widely celebrated in both Muslim and Christian historical accounts, making him an iconic figure of the medieval era.
Beyond its association with the legendary sultan, the name Saladin has been borne by several other notable figures throughout history. One such individual was Saladin the Kurd, a 12th-century Kurdish scholar and philosopher who authored works on theology, logic, and philosophy. Another was Saladin Mustafa al-Ayubi, a 13th-century Ayyubid sultan who ruled over parts of modern-day Syria and Lebanon.
In the 19th century, the name gained popularity among European intellectuals and artists, with figures like the French writer and philosopher Saladin d'Anglure (1837-1915) and the German painter Saladin Schmitt (1834-1917) adopting the moniker. More recently, the name has been carried by Saladin Ambar (born 1972), a prominent American academic and dean at Rutgers University.
The name Saladin has also appeared in various literary works and historical accounts, further cementing its association with bravery, honor, and Islamic heritage. In Sir Walter Scott's 1825 novel "The Talisman," Saladin is depicted as a wise and noble leader, while the 12th-century Christian chronicler William of Tyre provides detailed accounts of Saladin's military campaigns and leadership during the Crusades.
People
Saladin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Saladin as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Saladin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Saladin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 161 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Saladin going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,128,909 US residents.
Is Saladin a common name?
We classify Saladin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 174 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Saladin most popular?
The single biggest year for Saladin was 1966, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Saladin is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Saladin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Saladin in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.