Frequency: (273)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
1. Muslim: from a personal name based on Arabic salamah ‘peace’. Salamah ibn ῾Amr ibn al-Akwā was one of the ten Companions of the Prophet Muhammad. A related name is Salāmah, meaning ‘safety’, ‘security’, or ‘integrity’. This name is found in combinations such as Salāmat Allah(Salāmatullah) meaning ‘security of Allah’.
2. Jewish (Sephardic): Arabic translation (see 1) of the Hebrew name Shlomoh (see Salomon, Solomon).
GIVEN NAMES: Muslim 41%; French 4%; Jewish 4%. Mohamed (5), Mahmoud (3), Mostafa (3), Samir (3), Ahmed (2), Emad (2), Essam (2), Hany (2), Mamdouh (2), Nabil (2), Yousef (2), Amira; Andre (2), Jean-Pierre, Yves; Moises (2), Ovadia (2), Asaf, Mayer, Meir.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
