| Salma | Noor | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Safe, peaceful | Light |
| Origin | arabic | arabic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | SAL-mah | NOOR |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1918 | 1979 |
| Peak year | 1999 (442) | 2025 (435) |
| In 2025 | 278 | 435 |
| Trend | Steady | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Salma | Noor |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,724 | 2,176 |
| 2010s | 3,321 | 2,673 |
| 2000s | 3,488 | 2,124 |
| 1990s | 1,535 | 1,053 |
| 1980s | 178 | 243 |
| 1970s | 59 | 7 |
| 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.
Noor (نور, nur) means 'light' and comes from the Arabic root n-w-r. It is used for girls and boys across the Muslim world and carries connotations of radiance and divine light. Transliteration varies between Noor, Nour and Nur.
Noor is more popular than Salma today: about 435 US babies were given the name Noor in 2025, compared with 278 named Salma.
Salma means Safe, peaceful (arabic origin), while Noor means Light (arabic origin).
In US records, Salma first appears in 1918 and Noor in 1979, so Salma has the longer recorded history.