Girl

Selma

SEL-muh

Rare & Uncommon ↑ Rising

✦ Meaning

“Scandinavian name possibly from Old Norse meaning 'godly helmet,' or combining Selah and Alma, carrying Nordic sophistication and timeless appeal.”

Popularity Over Time

Selma US popularity rank over timeRank 6121 in 1985 to rank 181 in 1901. Lower rank numbers are more popular.#181#3151#61211900192019401960198020002024

Selma is not currently in the US top 1000.

Origin

Old NorseScandinavian

Syllables

2

Style

ClassicElegantVintageTimeless

Famous Bearers

  • Selma Lagerlöf (author)
  • Selma (The Simpsons character)

Collections

Works Everywhere → Beautiful But Not Top 100 → Scandinavian Names → Two Syllables → Vintage Revival →

Similar Names

Selena

Greek Beautiful But Not Top 100

Stella

Latin Top 50

Simone

French Rare & Uncommon

Sophia

Greek Top 10

Sibling Name Ideas

Alma

Latin Beautiful But Not Top 100

Edith

Old English Beautiful But Not Top 100

Ingrid

Old Norse Rare & Uncommon

Margot

French Beautiful But Not Top 100

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Cross-Cultural Notes

Works across Scandinavian and English-speaking cultures

People Also Ask

Scandinavian name possibly from Old Norse meaning 'godly helmet,' or combining Selah and Alma, carrying Nordic sophistication and timeless appeal.

Selma is not currently in the US top 1000, making it a genuinely rare choice. It's trending up as more parents discover it.

Selma works beautifully as a full name and does not lend itself to an obvious short form. Most parents see that as a feature.

Names that pair beautifully with Selma include Alma, Edith, Ingrid, Margot.