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Salma vs Lina

Which is more popular?
Lina is more popular than Salma today: about 527 US babies were given the name Lina in 2025, compared with 278 named Salma.
SalmaLina
Meaning Safe, peaceful Tender young palm tree
Origin arabic arabic
Gender Girl Girl
Pronunciation SAL-mah LEE-nah
Syllables 2 2
First appeared19181880
Peak year1999 (442)2024 (534)
In 2025278527
TrendSteadyNear its peak
Popularity over time, 1880–2025
Salma Lina
18801900192019401960198020002020

Source: US Social Security Administration.

Births by decade

DecadeSalmaLina
2020s 1,724 2,942
2010s 3,321 3,441
2000s 3,488 2,516
1990s 1,535 1,725
1980s 178 1,373
1970s 59 1,050
1960s 0 909
1950s 0 746
1940s 0 655
1930s 0 707
1920s 0 1,014
1910s 6 883
1900s 0 527
1890s 0 557
1880s 0 444

What does Salma mean?

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.

What does Lina mean?

As an Arabic name Lina (لينة, lina) means 'a tender young palm tree', a sense that appears in the Quran (Surah al-Hashr), and connects to the root l-y-n ('soft, tender'). Disambiguation: in Europe Lina is commonly a short form of names such as Carolina or Angelina, an unrelated source.

Frequently asked questions

Is Salma or Lina more popular?

Lina is more popular than Salma today: about 527 US babies were given the name Lina in 2025, compared with 278 named Salma.

What is the difference between Salma and Lina?

Salma means Safe, peaceful (arabic origin), while Lina means Tender young palm tree (arabic origin).

Which name is older, Salma or Lina?

In US records, Salma first appears in 1918 and Lina in 1880, so Lina has the longer recorded history.