Girl · Arabic · Muslim
Salma
سلمیٰSay it SAL-maa
- Meaning today
- Safe, peaceful
- Original meaning
- "a certain plant that turns green in spring" Lane, p. 1415
- Say it
- SAL-maa
- Written
- سلمیٰ
- Other spellings
- Salmah, Selma
Salma
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Salma meaning
Salma (سلمیٰ) is a Muslim girl's name of Arabic origin.
Meaning today
Safe, peaceful
Original Arabic meaning
"a certain plant that turns green in spring"
Source: Lane, An Arabic–English Lexicon, Book I, Part 4 (1872), p. 1415 · entry سَلْمَى (root سلم) · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
Salma (Arabic Salmā) is one of the oldest Arabic women's names. It belongs to the root s-l-m, whose central idea is safety: Lane's lexicon gives salām and salāma as safety, security and freedom from faults or harm, and salām is also the everyday greeting of peace. That is the meaning baby-name lists give, 'safe' or 'peaceful'. Lane's own entry for the word salmā, however, is narrower: a certain plant that turns green in spring. So the popular meaning comes from the family of words rather than from the exact form. Salmā bint ʿAmr of Medina was the mother of ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib and great-grandmother of the Prophet Muhammad. The name is used in India, Pakistan and the Arab world.
References: Lane, salmā and salām, p. 1415 (scan) · Wikipedia, Salma bint Amr
Famous namesakes
- Salmā bint ʿAmr, great-grandmother of the Prophet Muhammad
- Salma Hayek, Mexican-American actress
Popularity abroad
- #937 United States, girls 2025 (down 65 from 872 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #622 England and Wales, girls 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Salma · Salmah · Selma