| Salma | Layan | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Safe, peaceful | Softness, gentleness |
| Origin | arabic | arabic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | SAL-mah | lay-AAN |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1918 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1999 (442) | 2025 (329) |
| In 2025 | 278 | 0 |
| Trend | Steady | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Salma | Layan |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,724 | 1,458 |
| 2010s | 3,321 | 1,427 |
| 2000s | 3,488 | 325 |
| 1990s | 1,535 | 15 |
| 1980s | 178 | 0 |
| 1970s | 59 | 0 |
| 1910s | 6 | 0 |
Salma (سلمى, salma) comes from the Arabic root s-l-m ('peace, safety, soundness') - the same root as salam and Islam - and means 'safe, peaceful, unharmed'. It is a classical name used in early Arabic poetry.
Layan (ليان) comes from the Arabic root l-y-n ('to be soft'), carrying the sense of softness, gentleness and an easy, comfortable life. Some sources add a secondary 'ease/prosperity of living' nuance.
Salma is more popular than Layan today: about 278 US babies were given the name Salma in 2025, compared with 0 named Layan.
Salma means Safe, peaceful (arabic origin), while Layan means Softness, gentleness (arabic origin).
In US records, Salma first appears in 1918 and Layan in 0, so Layan has the longer recorded history.