Girl's name
Selma
Say it SEL-muh
Roots in English, Scottish Gaelic, Turkish and Arabic possibly good vision
2 syllables
Where Selma is loved, common and rare
Loved in Sweden. Common across Norway and one more place. Rare in four German cities, France, Switzerland and four more places.
1 in 21,107 girls born in England and Wales in 2025
Sweden 9thNorway 11thBerlin 107th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 13 of the 40 official lists, among them Sweden (9th), Norway (11th) and Berlin (107th).
Show all 13 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 9th 2025 | 463 | about 1 in 87 |
| Norway | 11th 2025 | 292 | 1 in 75 |
| Berlin city | 107th 2023 | 29 | about 1 in 500 |
| Cologne city | 183rd 2023 | 6 | about 1 in 1,024 |
| France | 247th 2025 | 225 | 1 in 1,275 |
| Switzerland | 277th 2025 | 25 | 1 in 1,360 |
| Austria | 515th 2025 | 9 | 1 in 3,969 |
| The Netherlands | 597th 2025 | 20 | about 1 in 3,051 |
| Italy | 736th 2024 | 14 | 1 in 12,798 |
| England and Wales | 2277th 2025 | 12 | 1 in 21,107 |
| Finland | 35th 2025 | 109 | rank only |
| Leipzig city | 128th 2025 | 4 | about 1 in 656 |
| Bonn city | 382nd 2025 | 1 | about 1 in 3,015 |
Rare, below the listed names: Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, Munich, Rostock, Spain, Catalonia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Sources: Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); Statistics Norway (SSB) (Norway); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV) (Finland); Stadt Leipzig, Standesamt (opendata.leipzig.de) (Leipzig); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn). How we count, and every source
About the name
Selma was taken up in the 19th century, alongside Elma, Thelma and Alma. Its roots are uncertain. It may be a short form of Anselma, or it may come from a place in Macpherson's Ossian poems, possibly built from Gaelic words meaning 'good vision'. It is also a Turkish name, which comes from Arabic.
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It has two syllables, SEL-muh, with a crisp, simple sound and the stress on the first. Salma and Zelma are close relatives.
Selma is above all a Scandinavian favourite: it is one of the leading girls' names in Sweden and Norway, and it is popular in Finland too. In England and Wales it is rare. It has been in use in France for generations, but at the moment it is falling in several of the places where it appears and rising in none, after a strong run in the Nordic countries.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- SEL-muh, 2 syllables
- Meaning
possibly good vision
- Origin
- English, Scottish Gaelic, Turkish and Arabic
- Other spellings
- Salma
- Salome
- Zelma
- Salmine
Etymology
Taken up in the 19th century with Elma, Thelma, Alma. Perhaps short for Anselma, or from a place in Macpherson's Ossian poems, from Gaelic sealladh + math 'good vision'; sometimes from Turkish Selma, from Arabic.
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: falling in 6 of 10 regions, rising in none.
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Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 1472 | 1219 | 2674 | 2643 | 2163 | 2201 | 2058 | 1705 | 2000 | 2277 |
| Ontario | 1403 | |||||||||
| Quebec | 482 | 414 | 443 | 472 | 575 | 637 | 810 | 713 | 787 | |
| France | 119 | 111 | 143 | 151 | 154 | 162 | 164 | 203 | 191 | 247 |
| The Netherlands | 485 | 362 | 346 | 498 | 735 | 747 | 594 | 821 | 597 | |
| Austria | 321 | 393 | 417 | 599 | 332 | 339 | 437 | 532 | 383 | 515 |
| Switzerland | 151 | 156 | 227 | 175 | 229 | 212 | 339 | 223 | 321 | 277 |
| Berlin | 131 | 107 | 130 | 144 | 147 | 132 | 122 | 107 | ||
| Munich | 113 | 164 | 206 | 120 | 102 | 220 | 227 | 200 | ||
| Cologne | 130 | 190 | 191 | 174 | 432 | 198 | 213 | 183 | ||
| Bonn | 174 | 222 | 226 | 158 | 168 | 264 | 392 | 136 | 223 | 382 |
| Leipzig | 55 | 85 | 100 | 85 | 74 | 132 | 129 | 85 | 92 | 128 |
| Rostock | 143 | 134 | 78 | 90 | 197 | 187 | 174 | 68 | ||
| Norway | 39 | 16 | 27 | 19 | 9 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 11 |
| Sweden | 26 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 9 |
| Finland | 44 | 42 | 24 | 36 | 35 | |||||
| Iceland | 99 | 161 | ||||||||
| Catalonia | 528 | 534 | 620 | |||||||
| Italy | 530 | 1368 | 950 | 736 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2277 | 12 | 4.7 |
| 2024 | 2000 | 14 | 5.4 |
| 2023 | 1705 | 17 | 6.6 |
| 2022 | 2058 | 13 | 4.9 |
| 2021 | 2201 | 12 | 4.4 |
| 2020 | 2163 | 12 | 4.5 |
| 2019 | 2643 | 9 | 3.2 |
| 2018 | 2674 | 9 | 3.1 |
| 2017 | 1219 | 28 | 9.4 |
| 2016 | 1472 | 22 | 7.2 |
| 2015 | 1497 | 21 | 6.8 |
| 2014 | 1501 | 20 | 6.5 |
| 2013 | 1707 | 17 | 5.5 |
| 2012 | 2521 | 10 | 3.1 |
| 2011 | 1608 | 18 | 5.6 |
| 2010 | 2392 | 10 | 3.1 |
| 2009 | 2759 | 8 | 2.6 |
| 2008 | 1093 | 27 | 8.6 |
| 2007 | 1384 | 19 | 6.2 |
| 2006 | 1153 | 23 | 7.7 |
| 2005 | 1082 | 23 | 8.0 |
| 2004 | 2112 | 9 | 3.1 |
| 2003 | 1628 | 12 | 4.3 |
| 2002 | 1245 | 16 | 6.0 |
| 2001 | 2023 | 8 | 3.0 |
| 2000 | 1389 | 13 | 4.8 |
| 1999 | 2444 | 6 | 2.1 |
| 1997 | 1958 | 8 | 2.7 |
| 1996 | 3795 | 3 | 1.0 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
France since 1925
Half of the babies named Selma in France since 1925 were born in or after 2011. First recorded in 1931. Her peak year there: 2017, at 159.0 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Selma per 100,000 girls born in France, by five-year period. Her 2017 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (1900-2025), Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0.
Sister names for Selma
1 in 3,578 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Selma.
Similar forms, not dealt separately: Eline.
1 in 1,064 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Selma.
1 in 4,871 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Selma.
1 in 3,958 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Selma.
1 in 84,427 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Selma.
1 in 2,429 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Selma.
1 in 4,966 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Selma.
1 in 5,282 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Selma.
1 in 2,638 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Selma.
1 in 2,508 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Selma.
Middle names for Selma
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Selma Grace
2-1 beats · initials SG
Changes the beat after Selma: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Selma Olivia
2-4 beats · initials SO · Selma slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Selma: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables. Selma slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Selma Maria
2-3 beats · initials SM
Changes the beat after Selma: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 99 in Scotland
Selma Sophia
2-3 beats · initials SS
Changes the beat after Selma: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Selma Rose
2-1 beats · initials SR
Changes the beat after Selma: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Selma Emily
2-3 beats · initials SE · Selma slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Selma: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables. Selma slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 491 in Ireland
Selma Julia
2-3 beats · initials SJ
Changes the beat after Selma: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 1,286 in England and Wales
Selma Miriam
2-3 beats · initials SM
Changes the beat after Selma: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
Same style as Selma
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 28,142 in England and Wales
89% alike: moves with Selma across countries and decades.
1 in 12,061 in England and Wales
87% alike: moves with Selma across countries and decades.
1 in 19,483 in England and Wales
87% alike: moves with Selma across countries and decades.
1 in 4,966 in England and Wales
85% alike: moves with Selma across countries and decades.
1 in 6,494 in England and Wales
85% alike: moves with Selma across countries and decades.
1 in 4,871 in England and Wales
84% alike: moves with Selma across countries and decades.
1 in 3,578 in Scotland
84% alike: moves with Selma across countries and decades.
1 in 14,071 in England and Wales
83% alike: moves with Selma across countries and decades.
Famous people named Selma
Selma Lagerlöf, Selma Blair, Selma Rıza, Selma Ergeç, Selma Björnsdóttir, Selma Bacha, Selma James and Selma Gürbüz.
Show all 8Show less
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Swedish writer (1858–1940)
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American actress (born 1972)
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Turkish journalist (1872–1931)
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Turkish-German actor (born 1978)
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Icelandic singer born 1974
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French association football player born 2000
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American feminist born 1930
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Turkish painter and sculptor (1960–2021)
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Selma
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
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How popular is Selma?
Her best rank is No. 9 in Sweden in 2025, about 1 in 87 girls. She is in the published lists of 13 of our 40 regions.
What does Selma mean?
Wiktionary glosses Selma as "possibly good vision".
How do you pronounce Selma?
SEL-muh, with 2 syllables.
Is Selma getting more popular?
Over five years: falling in 6 of 10 regions, rising in none.
Which sister names go with Selma?
The deck's top five sisters for Selma: Elina, Amina, Ines, Leonie and Lou. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.