Saleem is a spelling of the Arabic Salim and means "safe", "sound" or unharmed, a wish for a healthy life. The name is common across the Muslim world, and Saleem Sinai is the narrator of Salman Rushdie's novel Midnight's Children. In the United States Saleem ranked number 3060 in 2000, reached its best position of number 2092 in 2024 and stands at number 2533 in 2025.