Selma

“Beautiful view (Celtic); or possibly from Arabic Selim, meaning 'peaceful'” — Celtic or Arabic origin

Girl's name · #2810 in the US (2025) · Comeback

Selma was #163 in 1891, slipped to #6365 by 1985, and has climbed back to #2810 today. Roughly 27,000 girls have been named Selma since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Around the world: #9 in Sweden (2025) · #11 in Norway (2025) · #14 in Finland (Swedish-sp.) (2025) · #35 in Finland (Finnish-sp.) (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 3 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Selmas

Selma Lagerlöf — Swedish writer (1858–1940)
Selma Blair — American actress (born 1972)
Selma Rıza — Turkish journalist (1872–1931)
Selma Ergeç — Turkish-German actor (born 1978)
Selma Björnsdóttir — Icelandic singer

In stories & tradition

Selma Bouvier — The Simpsons
Selma — Abyssinia
Selma Traskvist — Selmas saga

What Selmas become

Among 390 notable people named Selma:

Entertainers appear 1.67× more often than among typical names — e.g. Selma Blair, American actress (born 1972).

Similar names: Nell · Zella · Roma · Zaida · Hala · Amna

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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