Sulma
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "peacetime" or "safety".
Name Census estimates that about 392 living Americans carry the first name Sulma. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sulma today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sulma births was 1990 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sulma. 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
392
~ 1 in 874,373 Americans
Peak year
1990
26 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2020 SSA rank
#17,221
Tracked since 1957
Popularity
Sulma: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sulma from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 138 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
Sulma 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 Sulma during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sulmas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Sulma, while New York, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 32 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sulma
The name Sulma has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic word "salam," which means peace or tranquility. The name is believed to have emerged in the Middle East region during the medieval period, around the 7th to 13th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sulma can be found in the historical records of the Abbasid Caliphate, a prominent Islamic empire that ruled a vast territory spanning parts of the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia between the 8th and 13th centuries. It is mentioned that a woman named Sulma was a renowned scholar and poet who lived during the reign of the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mu'tadid in the late 9th century.
In the realm of literature, the name Sulma appears in several Arabic literary works and poetry from that era. One notable example is the collection of poems by the famous Arabic poet Al-Mutanabbi, who lived in the 10th century and dedicated a few verses to a woman named Sulma, praised for her beauty and grace.
Throughout history, there have been several influential figures who bore the name Sulma. One such person was Sulma Al-Kasheera, an acclaimed Arabic singer and musician who lived in the 12th century and was celebrated for her enchanting voice and mastery of various instruments.
Another notable figure was Sulma Ibn Yazid, a prominent Islamic scholar and jurist who lived in the 8th century and made significant contributions to the field of Islamic jurisprudence and the interpretation of religious texts.
In the 14th century, Sulma Al-Andalusia was a renowned Andalusian poet and writer who gained recognition for her poetry and literary works, which often explored themes of love, nature, and the human experience.
During the Ottoman Empire's reign in the 16th century, there was a famous Turkish woman named Sulma Hatun, who was highly respected for her wisdom, knowledge, and philanthropic efforts in supporting education and social welfare initiatives.
It is worth noting that while the name Sulma has its roots in the Arabic language and culture, it has been adopted and used in various regions and communities over time, carrying the essence of peace and tranquility associated with its origin.
People
Sulma + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sulma 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
Sulma: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sulma?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 392 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sulma 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 874,373 US residents.
Is Sulma a common name?
We classify Sulma as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 413 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sulma most popular?
The single biggest year for Sulma was 1990, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sulma is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sulma a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sulma 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.