Salome Meaning in the Bible

Salome is the Greek Salōmē (Σαλώμη), a Hellenised feminine form built on the Hebrew shalom, 'peace, wholeness' — the same root as Solomon and Shulamite. It was one of the most common Jewish women's names in first-century Palestine, which explains why more than one Salome appears in the historical record.

The Salome of the Gospels is a follower of Jesus. Mark 15:40 places her at the crucifixion with Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, watching 'afar off,' and Mark 16:1 has her buying sweet spices to anoint the body — meaning she was among the first at the empty tomb. Comparing Matthew 27:56 with Mark 15:40 has led many commentators to identify her as the mother of James and John, the woman who asked Jesus for her sons to sit at his right and left (Matthew 20:20–21).

The other Salome — the girl who danced before Herod and asked for John the Baptist's head — is never named in Scripture at all. Mark 6:22 calls her only 'the daughter of the said Herodias'; the name comes from the Jewish historian Josephus. Two thousand years of art and opera have attached the name to her anyway, and it is worth knowing which figure Scripture actually names.

The name is rare in English-speaking countries, common in Georgia and parts of Latin America, and stressed differently across languages (sa-LOH-may, SAL-oh-may, sa-lo-MEH). Its Hebrew root gives it a meaning most 'peace' names claim without the etymology to back it.