What Does the Name Salma Mean?

Salma is a girl's name of Arabic origin meaning “Peaceful, safe, sound.”

Updated June 2026

Name	Salma
Gender	female
Origin	Arabic
Meaning	Peaceful, safe, sound
Variants	Selma, Salima, Salwa
Popularity	Very common across the Arabic-speaking world and North Africa; in the US it appears in the lower reaches of the top 1000, mainly among Muslim and Latino families.

The meaning and origin of Salma

The name Salma means “Peaceful, safe, sound” and has Arabic origins. An Arabic name from the root s-l-m (peace, safety), meaning 'peaceful' or 'safe and sound,' related to words like 'salaam' and 'Islam.' It is a classical Arabic name, borne in early Islamic history and today by figures like actress Salma Hayek.

Variants and related names

Salma is related to several other names you may recognize: Selma, Salima, Salwa. These share a common root or are spelling and language variants of the same name.

How popular is the name Salma?

Very common across the Arabic-speaking world and North Africa; in the US it appears in the lower reaches of the top 1000, mainly among Muslim and Latino families.

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