Salud
A feminine Spanish name meaning "health" or "well-being".
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Salud. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 50.0% of registrations being female. The average person named Salud today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Salud births was 1976 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Salud. 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 Salud. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1976
5 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2006 SSA rank
#10,515
Tracked since 1976
Census
Salud in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,074 people with the first name Salud, which placed it at #11,785 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#11,785
National first-name rank
People counted
1.1K
1,074 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
82.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Salud
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Salud is Hispanic at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.3%) and White (0.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Salud described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Salud at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino82.5% · 886
- Asian and Pacific Islander16.3% · 175
- White0.7% · 7
- Black or African American0.3% · 3
- Two or more races0.3% · 3
Gender
Gender distribution for Salud
Salud is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 10 total registrations, 5 (50.0%) were male and 5 (50.0%) were female.
Salud as a male name
- Ranked #13,644 in 2006
- 5 male births in 2006
- Peak: 2006 (5 births)
Salud as a female name
- Ranked #10,515 in 1976
- 5 female births in 1976
- Peak: 1976 (5 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Salud on both sides of the split. Of the 1,074 people counted with this name, 262 were male (24.4%) and 812 were female (75.6%).
Popularity
Salud: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Salud from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Salud 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 Salud 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 Salud
The name Salud finds its origins in the Spanish language and culture. It is derived from the Latin word "salus," which means health, well-being, or safety. The name's roots can be traced back to ancient Roman times when the concept of "salus" held significant importance.
One of the earliest historical references to the name Salud can be found in the Roman goddess Salus, who was revered as the goddess of health and prosperity. She was often depicted holding a snake, which was a symbol of rejuvenation and healing in Roman mythology.
During the Middle Ages, the name Salud gained popularity among Spanish-speaking communities, particularly in regions where Latin influence was strong. It was commonly used as a way to express a wish for good health and well-being for newborn children.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Salud dates back to the 13th century. In 1271, a woman named Salud de Villanueva was mentioned in historical records from the city of Toledo, Spain.
Throughout history, the name Salud has been borne by several notable individuals. One such person was Salud Alfaro (1908-1998), a Mexican painter and printmaker known for her contributions to the Mexican Muralist Movement. Another notable figure was Salud Barrios (1870-1949), a Mexican novelist and poet who played a significant role in the development of modern Mexican literature.
Salud Amaya (1915-1999) was a renowned Spanish flamenco dancer and choreographer who helped popularize flamenco dance internationally. In the realm of music, Salud Robles (1899-1991) was a celebrated Mexican singer and actress known for her contributions to the Golden Age of Mexican cinema.
Additionally, Salud Borrego (1894-1961) was a Spanish politician and trade unionist who played a pivotal role in the Spanish Civil War and the resistance against Francisco Franco's regime.
These are just a few examples of historical figures who bore the name Salud, each leaving a lasting impact in their respective fields and contributing to the rich cultural tapestry of the Spanish-speaking world.
People
Salud + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Salud 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
Salud: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Salud?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Salud 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 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Salud a common name?
We classify Salud as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Salud most popular?
The single biggest year for Salud was 1976, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Salud is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Salud in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,074 people with the name Salud, or 0.36 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #11,785 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Salud in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Salud?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Salud on both sides of the split. Of the 1,074 people counted with this name, 262 were male (24.4%) and 812 were female (75.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Salud?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Salud is Hispanic at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.3%) and White (0.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Salud most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Salud in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.5% (886 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Salud in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Salud a female name?
Yes, 50.0% of people registered as Salud 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.
Is Salud still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Salud 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 Salud 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.
How many people have Salud as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Salud on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.