2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Salema
A surname originating from Salema, Portugal and was likely a locational name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Salema. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Salema 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.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Salema in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Salema, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.3%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Salema
The surname SALEMA has its roots in Portugal, originating in the late 15th century. The name is derived from the Portuguese town of Salema, located in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. Salema itself is believed to have linguistic ties to the Arabic word "salama," meaning "peace" or "safety," suggesting a possible connection to the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SALEMA surname can be found in the Portuguese parish records from the town of Salema, dating back to the late 1400s. These records document the presence of families bearing the SALEMA name in the region during this period.
In the 16th century, the SALEMA name appears in various historical documents related to Portuguese exploration and colonization efforts. For instance, João de Salema, born in 1525, was a renowned navigator and cartographer who accompanied several expeditions to the Americas and Africa.
During the 17th century, the SALEMA family established itself as a prominent lineage in Portugal. Francisco de Salema (1602-1678), a renowned theologian and author, wrote extensively on religious subjects and his works were widely circulated throughout Europe.
As the Portuguese empire expanded, the SALEMA name began to appear in colonial records from various parts of the world. In the late 18th century, Manuel de Salema (1743-1812) was a notable military officer who served in the Portuguese colonies in Brazil and Africa.
In the 19th century, the SALEMA name gained further prominence in Portugal with the rise of Luís de Salema (1825-1892), a celebrated poet and literary figure whose works helped shape the Romantic movement in Portuguese literature.
As the centuries passed, the SALEMA surname continued to be represented across various fields, including academia, politics, and the arts. Notable examples include António de Salema (1879-1957), a renowned linguist and professor of Romance languages, and Maria de Salema (1914-2002), a celebrated painter and sculptor whose works were exhibited internationally.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Salema
Among Census respondents with the surname Salema, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.3%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Salema 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 Salema surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.8% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.3% · 12
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Salema
Salema 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+14 bearers (+14.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,216 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 950 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+14.0%) | Up 5,216 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Up 950 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 Salema 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 | #145,220 | #144,270 | 0.7% |
| Count | 114 | 117 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Salema bearers went from 114 to 117 (+2.6% change). The surname moved up 950 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #144,270.
FAQ
Salema surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Salema?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Salema. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Salema?
Salema ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Salema. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Salema.
Has Salema become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Salema went from 114 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 3 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Salema?
Among Census respondents with the surname Salema, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.3%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Salema in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.8% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Salema appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (10.3%), Black (1.7%). 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 Salema (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 Salema mean?
A surname originating from Salema, Portugal and was likely a locational name. 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 Salema (0.04 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 Salema?
Find out how many people are called Salema on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.