Soil salinity has become the most important problems for agricultural production. The damaging effect of salt accumulation in agricultural soils has become an important environmental concern. Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an economically important oil seed crop in the world. The supply for the world peanut production could not meet the increasing demand for peanut oil and food in recent years. To date, due to the increase in the area of land planted with alimentary crops, peanut planting was decreased. Therefore, it is important to evaluate and select salinity tolerant varieties for peanut production in saline land. In the present study, the degree of salinity tolerance of two hundred peanut materials including germplasm resources and varieties was investigated from emergence to seedling stage. The seeds of peanut were pot-planted with salinity levels of 0, 0.15%, 0.30% and 0.45% NaCl in the soil.. The degree of salinity tolerance was systematically evaluate to select high salinity tolerant varieties according to the 10 indices including relative emergence rate, relative plant height, relative stem height, relative taproot length, relative shoot fresh mass, relative root fresh mass, relative shoot dry mass, relative root dry mass and relative plant dry mass. The results showed that the emergence time was prolonged in the treatments with high soil salinity; and plant morphology establishment and biomass accumulation were inhibited seriously. Statistic analysis for the 10 indices showed large variations among the 200 varieties, but each index showed a normal distribution trend. The optimal salinity level for evaluating salinity tolerance in peanut was from 0.30% to 0.45% NaCl. Peanut seeds could not emerge when the soil salinity level exceeded 0.45% NaCl. Principal component analysis was used to extract the effective information for salinity tolerance evaluation because of the significance of relation among the ten indices. The shoot morphology and biomass could be used as the first candidates for evaluating salinity tolerance in peanut varieties/lines, and the taproot length and emergence rate could be used as the second candidates to comprehensively evaluate salinity tolerance. According to the total score, the 200 varieties were divided into 4 groups, i.e., high salinity tolerance, salinity tolerance, salinity sensitive and high salinity sensitive, by cluster analysis at soil salinity level of 0.15%, 0.30% and 0.45% NaCl, respectively. The number of salinity tolerant varieties was decreased with the increasing salinity level, while the number of salinity sensitive varieties was increased. Two hundred varieties/lines could emerge under soil salinity level of 0.15% NaCl and accounted for 29.0%, 39.0%, 27.5% and 4.5% in high salinity tolerance group, salinity tolerance group, salinity sensitive group and high salinity sensitive group, respectively. One hundred and eighty-five varieties/lines could emerge under soil salinity level of 0.30% NaCl and accounted for 5.5%, 34.5%, 23.5% and 29.0%, respectively, in each group. One hundred and seven varieties/lines could emerge under soil salinity level of 0.45% NaCl and accounted for 5.5%, 5.5%, 20.0% and 22.5%, respectively, in each group. Especially, fourteen varieties/lines (Luhua 11, HLY2, Huayu 32, 561, Yueyou 26, Yueyou 85, Xianghua 11, Xiangxiang, XE019, 555, Fuhua 11, Yueyou 186, 543 and HZ13) showed tolerance and 10 varieties/lines (Yuhua15, Z8, Z6, Huayu 24, Weihua 6, 1018, Silihong, D1035, HR4 and Yueyou 101) showed sensitive under soil salinity levels of 0.15%, 0.30% and 0.45% NaCl, which could be provided for further research on salinity tolerant mechanism and production application in peanut plant.