Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 2017

Salih

Meaning pious Gender Boy Rank 2025 #4,678 Trend ↑ Rising 15%

Borrowed from Arabic صَالِح (ṣāliḥ, literally “pious”).

Rank 2025
#4,678
among boys · ↓265 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
22
named Salih · -8% vs 2024
How common
1 in 77,640
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2017
28 babies
All-time total
587
#7,167 all-time among boys
First recorded
1973
in Social Security records

Salih popularity over time

587 babies have been named Salih since 1973, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.010.010.020.0218801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2017Boys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s – – – –
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s – – – –
1960s – – – –
1970s 31 3 – #4,121
1980s 34 3 +10% #4,724
1990s 67 7 +97% #5,062
2000s 137 14 +104% #4,433
2010s 203 20 +48% #3,870
2020s (to 2025) 115 19 -6% #4,413

Where Salih is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 22 0.01 outside top 500
2027 23 0.01 outside top 500
2028 23 0.01 outside top 500
2029 24 0.01 outside top 500
2030 24 0.01 outside top 500

The story of Salih

Salih is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #4,678 in 2025 with 22 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1973, 587 American babies have been named Salih. Its peak came in 2017, when 28 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Salih stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Salih?

The median living Salih is about 14 years old; half are between 7 and 24. An estimated 600 people named Salih are alive in the United States today.

median 14 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Salih year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 22 #4,678
2024 24 #4,413
2023 19 #5,215
2022 17 #5,596
2021 20 #4,902
2020 13 #6,558
2019 25 #4,211
2018 20 #4,891
2017 28 #3,870
2016 17 #5,516
2015 25 #4,158
2014 21 #4,679
2013 20 #4,766
2012 16 #5,678
2011 13 #6,518
2010 18 #5,208
2009 20 #4,894
2008 17 #5,445
2007 14 #6,204
2006 10 #7,891
2005 6 #11,210
2004 14 #5,741
2003 16 #4,998
2002 11 #6,445
2001 18 #4,433
2000 11 #6,232
1995 12 #5,068
1990 – –
1985 – –
1980 6 #6,107
1975 – –
1970 – –
1965 – –
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Salih

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Salih Özcan Salih Özcan Footballer (born 1998) Contemporary
  2. 2 Salih Muslim Salih Muslim Syrian Kurdish leader (1951–2026) Contemporary
  3. 3 Salih Uçan Salih Uçan Turkish footballer (born 1994) Contemporary
  4. 4 Salih Mahmoud Osman Salih Mahmoud Osman Sudanese human rights lawyer b. 1957 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Salih, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Salih?

The median living Salih is about 14 years old. Half of all living Salihs are between 7 and 24 years old.

How many people named Salih are alive today?

An estimated 600 people named Salih are alive in the United States, based on 587 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Salih mean?

Borrowed from Arabic صَالِح (ṣāliḥ, literally “pious”).

How popular is the name Salih in 2025?

Salih ranked #4,678 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 22 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Salih?

587 babies have been named Salih in the United States since 1973, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Salih most popular?

Salih peaked in 2017, when 28 newborns received the name.

Is Salih a boy or girl name?

Salih is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Salih rising or falling?

Salih has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Salih become more popular?

Salih is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 24 boys named Salih in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Salih?

Well-known people named Salih include Salih Özcan (soccer player), Salih Muslim (politician), Salih Uçan (soccer player).

Names like Salih

Names that sound and feel close to Salih: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Salih with similar names → More names starting with S →