A form of Shealtiel, from Hebrew meaning 'I have asked God' or 'asked of God.'
Salatiel is the Latinate form of the Hebrew Shealtiel (שְׁאַלְתִּיאֵל), meaning "I have asked of God" or "borrowed from God" — a name shaped by the theology of petition and divine gift. It appears in the Hebrew Bible as the name of the son of King Jeconiah of Judah, who was carried into Babylonian exile, and as the father of Zerubbabel, the governor who led the first wave of Jewish return to Jerusalem and oversaw the laying of the Second Temple's foundation.
Both the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke include Shealtiel in the genealogies of Jesus, giving the name New Testament weight as well. Across Catholic and Orthodox liturgical traditions, Shealtiel or Salatiel is venerated as an angel — specifically one of the eight leaders of the angelic host in Eastern Orthodox angelology, charged with inspiring prayer in humanity. This dual identity as both a historical patriarch and a celestial intercessor gave the name considerable gravitas in early Christian naming culture, particularly in Ethiopia, where the Sälassie church preserved many Old Testament names that faded elsewhere.
In the modern era, Salatiel is most commonly encountered in Latin American communities, especially in Mexico, Peru, and among Evangelical and Pentecostal families throughout Central America who draw naming inspiration directly from scriptural genealogies. Its unusual blend of Old Testament austerity and lyrical five-syllable sound — sa-la-TIEL — has also attracted parents seeking a deeply rooted biblical name that stands apart from the saturated Noahs and Ezras of contemporary nurseries.