Selma
Girl nameSelma has been given to 27,202 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1918.
Meaning & origin /ˈsɛlmə/
Taken to use in the 19th century when similar-sounding names, Elma, Thelma, Alma, Wilma, etc. were in vogue. Perhaps a shortening of Anselma, or from the name of a place in the James Macpherson's Ossian cycle of epic poems, itself from Scottish Gaelic sealladh + math (“good vision”). In some cases perhaps borrowed from Turkish Selma, from Arabic سَلْمَى (salmā).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
27,202
Peak year
1918 (811 babies)
Rank in 2025
Below top 1000
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▼ -31%
Gender split
99% girls / 1% boys
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Selma.
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