2000
#23,087
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,033
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.38
Rare Last name
Salama
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "safety" or "peace".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,570 Americans carry the last name Salama. That puts it at #13,088 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,367 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Salama surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Salama with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 133,367
Census rank
#13,088
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,241 bearers of the surname Salama in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13088th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Salama, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Black (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Salama
The surname Salama is believed to have originated from the Arabic word "Salama," which means "peace" or "safety." This name is commonly found in various parts of the Middle East and North Africa, particularly in countries with a significant Arab population.
The earliest known records of the surname Salama can be traced back to the 7th century, during the time of the Islamic conquests and the spread of the Arabic language and culture across the region. It is possible that the name was initially adopted by individuals or families who embraced the principles of peace and safety as embodied in the Islamic faith.
In the 11th century, the name Salama appeared in several historical documents and manuscripts from the region, including chronicles and literary works. One notable example is the writings of the renowned Arab polymath and philosopher, Al-Biruni, who mentioned individuals with the surname Salama in his works.
During the medieval period, the surname Salama was also found in various regions of the Iberian Peninsula, where the Moors had established their presence. Several prominent figures from this era bore the name, including Abu Salama al-Rundi, a 12th-century Andalusian poet and scholar from Ronda, Spain.
In the 14th century, the name Salama appeared in records from the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt, indicating its presence in the region at that time. One notable figure was Salama ibn Muhammad al-Misri, a 14th-century Egyptian jurist and scholar who wrote extensively on Islamic law and jurisprudence.
As the Arabic-speaking world expanded, the surname Salama spread to other regions, including parts of the Levant and North Africa. In the 16th century, the name was recorded in Ottoman Empire documents, with individuals such as Salama al-Halabi, a renowned 16th-century Syrian scholar and writer, bearing the name.
Throughout history, the surname Salama has been associated with various professions, including scholars, poets, jurists, and religious figures. Some other notable individuals who carried this name include Ahmad Salama Pasha (1836-1925), an Egyptian poet and playwright; Salama Moussa (1887-1958), an Egyptian writer and intellectual; and Salama Khadra al-Jayyusi (1926-2021), a renowned Syrian literary critic and academic.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Salama
Among Census respondents with the surname Salama, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Black (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Salama bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Salama surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.6% · 1,918
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 150
- Black or African American4.1% · 91
- Two or more races3.2% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Salama
Salama appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#17,472
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,613
+580 bearers (+56.1%)
Per 100,000 0.55
Rank movement Up 5,615 places
2020
#13,088
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,241
+628 bearers (+38.9%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 4,384 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,087 | 1,033 | 0.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,472 | 1,613 | 0.55 | +580 bearers (+56.1%) | Up 5,615 places |
| 2020 | #13,088 | 2,241 | 0.75 | +628 bearers (+38.9%) | Up 4,384 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Salama surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #17,472 | #13,088 | 25.1% |
| Count | 1,613 | 2,241 | 38.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.55 | 0.75 | 36.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Salama bearers went from 1,613 to 2,241 (+38.9% change). The surname moved up 4,384 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,472 to #13,088.
FAQ
Salama surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Salama?
Name Census estimates that about 2,570 living Americans carry the surname Salama. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,367 residents.
How common is Salama?
Salama ranks #13,088 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,241 people with the surname Salama. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,570), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Salama.
Has Salama become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Salama went from 1,613 recorded bearers to 2,241. That is an increase of 628 (+38.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,472 to #13,088.
What does the Census say about the background of Salama?
Among Census respondents with the surname Salama, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Black (4.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Salama in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (1,918 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Salama appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.6%), Hispanic (6.7%), Black (4.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Salama (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Salama mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "safety" or "peace". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Salama (0.75 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Salama?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Salama at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.