Salem History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Salem comes from the baptismal name Soloman, which was an ancient personal name. Baptismal names began to appear as surnames relatively late in the growth of the naming tradition. This is a little surprising, given the popularity of biblical figures in the Christian countries of Europe. Nevertheless, surnames derived from baptismal names grew in popularity during the Middle Ages, and have become one of the foremost sources for surnames. The surname Salem also has origins as a nickname for a man who was considered to be wise or fortunate.

Early Origins of the Salem family

The surname Salem was first found in Surrey where they were Lords of the manor of Caterham from ancient times. Alternatively, the name could have been derived from Selham, a small village in the Chichester district of West Sussex. The village dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Seleham and literally meant "homestead by a copse of sallow-trees." 1

A scan of early rolls revealed Ailricius Seliman in the Pipe Rolls for 1169 for Northumberland, Thomas Selman in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1275 for Wiltshire, John Seliman in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279 for Cambridgeshire, Robert Salyman in the Subsidy Rolls for Essex in 1327 and Claricia Selimaon and Henry Selmon in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcester for 1327. 2

Early History of the Salem family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Salem research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1240, 1303, 1371, 1390, 1411, 1414, 1426, 1435, 1468, 1541 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Salem History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Salem Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Salem were recorded, including Saleman, Salman, Selman, Selyman, Seleman and others.

Early Notables of the Salem family

Notables of the family at this time include John Selman (died 1426), English politician, Member of Parliament for Plympton Erle (1390-1411); and John Selman (fl.1414-1435), English politician, Member of Parliament for Plympton Erle (1414-1435.)Thomas Soulemont, Soleman or...
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Salem Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Salem Ranking

In the United States, the name Salem is the 6,422^nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3

Salem migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Salem family emigrate to North America:

Salem Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Giles Salem, who arrived in Virginia in 1664 4

Salem Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Peter Salem, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1786 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Salem (post 1700) +

Robert J. Salem, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Iowa State House of Representatives from Woodbury County, 1950; Candidate for U.S. Representative from Iowa 8th District, 1956 5
Richard Salem, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for U.S. Representative from Florida 7th District, 1978 5
Morris Salem, American politician, Representative from New York 9th District, 1908 5
Pamela Fortunee Salem (1944-2024), British film and television actress
Hyleme Salem George (1912-2001), American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Kentucky State House of Representatives 30th District, 1955; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kentucky, 1960, 1964 (alternate) 6
Salem Poor, American soldier in the American Revolution, honored with a US stamp in 1975
Salem H. Wales, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1872 7
Salem Heilman, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 25th District, 1897 8

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html