Selma

Meaning: Possibly beautiful view
Origin: Celtic — From a place name in James Macpherson's Ossian poems, or a short form of Anselma

Meaning: Possibly peaceful
Origin: Arabic — Possibly a feminine form of Selim

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

Popularity over time

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.

Across the states

See where Selma is more common.

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

Around the world

Selma is especially popular in Sweden.

#9 in Sweden (2025) · #11 in Norway (2025) · #14 in Finland (Swedish-sp.) (2025) · #35 in Finland (Finnish-sp.) (2025) · #249 in France (2025) · #290 in Switzerland (2025) · #523 in Belgium (2025) · #561 in Austria (2025) · #597 in Netherlands (2025) · #770 in Italy (2024) · #2,278 in England & Wales (2025) · #2,475 in Canada (2025) and 8 more.

Famous Selmas

Selma Lagerlöf — Swedish writer (1858–1940)
Selma Blair — American actress (born 1972)
Selma Rıza — Turkish journalist (1872–1931)
Selma Ergeç — Turkish actress (born 1978)
Selma Diamond — Canadian writer and actress (1920–1985)

In stories & tradition

Selma Bouvier — The Simpsons (TV series)
Selma — Abyssinia (musical stage work)
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: Ollie · Zella · Roma · Zaida · Sena · Hala

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

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