Salis
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "she who quenches thirst".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Salis. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Salis today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Salis births was 2006 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Salis. 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 Salis. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2006
6 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2006 SSA rank
#11,791
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Salis: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Salis 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 Salis during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Salis
The name Salis has its roots in the ancient Etruscan civilization that thrived in what is now modern-day Italy. It is believed to be derived from the Etruscan word "sal," which means "salt" or "brine." This connection to salt suggests that the name may have been given to individuals who lived near the sea or worked in salt production.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Salis can be found in the writings of the Roman historian Livy, who mentioned a Salis Samothracicus, a priest from the island of Samothrace in the Aegean Sea, around the 2nd century BCE. This reference indicates that the name was already in use during the Roman era.
In the Middle Ages, the name Salis appeared in various records and chronicles across Europe. One notable figure was Salis de Valence, a French nobleman and crusader who took part in the Fourth Crusade in the early 13th century.
During the Renaissance period, the name Salis gained prominence in Italy, where several individuals bearing the name made significant contributions to the arts and sciences. Salis Ramus, an Italian humanist and philosopher born in 1515, was known for his influential works on logic and rhetoric.
In the 18th century, Salis Soglio, a Swiss politician and military leader born in 1694, played a crucial role in the defense of his homeland during the conflicts with the French Revolutionary armies.
Another notable figure was Salis Seewis, a Swiss nobleman and diplomat who lived from 1741 to 1807. He served as the ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to various European courts and was instrumental in maintaining Switzerland's neutrality during the Napoleonic Wars.
As the name Salis spread throughout Europe, it also found its way to other parts of the world. In the 19th century, Salis Karolyi, a Hungarian nobleman and politician born in 1832, gained prominence for his efforts in promoting Hungarian autonomy within the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
These are just a few examples of the historical figures who have borne the name Salis over the centuries, demonstrating its enduring presence and the diverse cultural backgrounds from which it has emerged.
People
Salis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Salis 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
Salis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Salis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Salis 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Salis a common name?
We classify Salis as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Salis most popular?
The single biggest year for Salis was 2006, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Salis is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Salis in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Salis a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Salis 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.
Is Salis still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Salis in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Salis can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Salis?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.