Saleem
A surname and given-name spelling ultimately from Arabic Salim, meaning “safe” or “sound.”
The #9,767 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 93,080 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Saleem is a variant transliteration of Arabic Salim or Salim/Saleem, built on the root meaning “safe,” “sound,” or “unharmed.” In Arabic naming, it can function as a personal name and later be inherited as a surname. The spelling Saleem reflects a common English rendering of the long vowel in the second syllable.
History
The form appears in English-language sources as a variant spelling alongside Selim, reflecting differing ways of writing Arabic and related names in Latin script. As a surname, it is most often found among families with Arabic, South Asian, or broader Muslim naming traditions. In the United States it remains relatively uncommon, and many bearers likely acquired it through immigrant or diaspora usage rather than long-established English surname development.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Arabic name family also gave rise to well-known historical spellings like Selim, especially in older European writing about Ottoman figures.
From the historical record
“(Kobad), Zall, Saura, Tur, Tus, Kustan, Roustan, Rostan, Hussin (Hussein), Sawush (Saiawush?), Gerascheid (Jem- shied), Halim, Nazzer, - Selim, Saleem, Amrafh (Amurath), Bajazec (Bajazet), Ben Yussuf, Mooklar, Mustapher, Israael, Ibram, - Alp, Arselin (Arslan?), - Haramet, Hammed, Hamid, Malek, Menlik (Meneiek?)…”
— A Grammar of American Surnames