Salihah
A feminine Arabic name meaning obedient or righteous.
Name Census estimates that about 73 living Americans carry the first name Salihah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Salihah today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Salihah births was 2007 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Salihah. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Salihah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
73
~ 1 in 4,695,265 Americans
Peak year
2007
8 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2011 SSA rank
#19,055
Tracked since 1984
Popularity
Salihah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Salihah from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 37 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Salihah 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 Salihah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Salihah
The name Salihah originates from the Arabic language and has roots in the Islamic faith. It is derived from the word "salih," which means "virtuous" or "righteous." The name Salihah is primarily used in Arabic-speaking regions and among Muslim communities worldwide.
According to Islamic tradition, the name Salihah is mentioned in the Quran, which is the central religious text of Islam. It is often associated with the concept of living a righteous and virtuous life, following the teachings of Islam and striving for spiritual purity.
The earliest recorded use of the name Salihah can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the time of the Prophet Muhammad and the early Islamic era. However, it gained more widespread popularity in the following centuries as Islam spread across various regions.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Salihah was Salihah bint Sa'id al-Ansariyah, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad who lived in the 7th century CE. She was known for her piety and devotion to the Islamic faith.
Another notable figure with the name Salihah was Salihah al-Hilli, a renowned scholar and poet who lived in the 13th century CE. She was born in the city of Hilla, located in modern-day Iraq, and was celebrated for her contributions to Arabic literature and Islamic studies.
In the 14th century, Salihah al-Maqdisiyah was a prominent female scholar from Jerusalem (al-Quds). She was renowned for her expertise in various Islamic sciences, including hadith (the recorded sayings and traditions of the Prophet Muhammad) and Sharia law.
During the 16th century, Salihah Sultan was a prominent figure in the Ottoman Empire. She was the daughter of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and played an influential role in the political and cultural affairs of the empire.
In the 19th century, Salihah al-Misriyah was a renowned Egyptian poet and writer. She was known for her literary works that explored themes of love, spirituality, and social issues faced by women in her time.
These are just a few examples of notable figures throughout history who bore the name Salihah. The name continues to be popular among Muslim communities worldwide, carrying the symbolic meaning of virtue, righteousness, and spiritual purity.
People
Salihah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Salihah 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
Salihah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Salihah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 73 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Salihah 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 4,695,265 US residents.
Is Salihah a common name?
We classify Salihah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 60% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 75 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Salihah most popular?
The single biggest year for Salihah was 2007, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Salihah is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Salihah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Salihah in the SSA data are female. 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.