Selma
#2,778 for girls in 2025, 61 births · Last seen for boys in 1961 at #4,065
Given to girls 98.8% of the time
- Peak · girls
- 1891 · 206 births
- Debut · girls
- 36 births
- In top 100 · girls
- neverof 146 years
- Total births · girls
- 26,881since 1880
Selma over time
Rank among girls' names. Selma has never cracked the top 100 here.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | #2,778 | 61 | — | |
| 2024 | #2,775 | 61 | — | |
| 2023 | #2,415 | 74 | — | |
| 2022 | #2,720 | 63 | — | |
| 2021 | #2,715 | 63 | — | |
| 2020 | #2,170 | 83 | — | |
| 2019 | #2,140 | 87 | — | |
| 2018 | #2,302 | 79 | — | |
| 2017 | #2,160 | 88 | — | |
| 2016 | #2,068 | 95 | — | |
| 2015 | #2,152 | 88 | — | |
| 2014 | #1,853 | 109 | — | |
| 2013 | #2,259 | 82 | — | |
| 2012 | #2,516 | 72 | — | |
| 2011 | #2,026 | 96 | — | |
| 2010 | #2,237 | 86 | — | |
| 2009 | #2,244 | 87 | — | |
| 2008 | #2,206 | 90 | — | |
| 2007 | #2,034 | 100 | — | |
| 2006 | #1,939 | 103 | — | |
| 2005 | #1,690 | 117 | — | |
| 2004 | #1,643 | 118 | — | |
| 2003 | #1,896 | 96 | — | |
| 2002 | #2,228 | 74 | — | |
| 2001 | #1,922 | 90 | — | |
| 2000 | #2,034 | 81 | — | |
| 1999 | #2,153 | 70 | — | |
| 1998 | #2,221 | 64 | — | |
| 1997 | #2,423 | 54 | — | |
| 1996 | #2,849 | 42 | — | |
| 1995 | #3,422 | 32 | — | |
| 1994 | #4,521 | 22 | — | |
| 1993 | #5,419 | 17 | — | |
| 1992 | #3,419 | 32 | — | |
| 1991 | #3,540 | 30 | — | |
| 1990 | #3,156 | 35 | — | |
| 1989 | #4,020 | 24 | — | |
| 1988 | #3,585 | 26 | — | |
| 1987 | #4,283 | 19 | — | |
| 1986 | #3,277 | 27 | — | |
| 1985 | #6,031 | 11 | — | |
| 1984 | #3,990 | 19 | — | |
| 1983 | #3,949 | 19 | — | |
| 1982 | #3,172 | 27 | — | |
| 1981 | #3,066 | 28 | — | |
| 1980 | #3,318 | 25 | — | |
| 1979 | #3,903 | 19 | — | |
| 1978 | #3,388 | 22 | — | |
| 1977 | #3,002 | 26 | — | |
| 1976 | #3,407 | 20 | — | |
| 1975 | #3,259 | 21 | — | |
| 1974 | #3,695 | 17 | — | |
| 1973 | #2,689 | 26 | — | |
| 1972 | #2,903 | 23 | — | |
| 1971 | #2,175 | 37 | — | |
| 1970 | #2,043 | 40 | — | |
| 1969 | #2,134 | 35 | — | |
| 1968 | #2,056 | 34 | — | |
| 1967 | #1,848 | 40 | — | |
| 1966 | #1,515 | 54 | — | |
| 1965 | #1,097 | 91 | — | |
| 1964 | #1,419 | 63 | — | |
| 1963 | #1,361 | 66 | — | |
| 1962 | #1,158 | 89 | — | |
| 1961 | #1,005 | 116 | #4,065 | 5 |
| 1960 | #1,126 | 93 | — | |
| 1959 | #1,118 | 91 | — | |
| 1958 | #1,112 | 90 | #3,944 | 5 |
| 1957 | #1,021 | 105 | — | |
| 1956 | #940 | 115 | — | |
| 1955 | #925 | 113 | — | |
| 1954 | #945 | 104 | #2,942 | 8 |
| 1953 | #860 | 118 | — | |
| 1952 | #914 | 102 | #3,734 | 5 |
| 1951 | #813 | 121 | #3,714 | 5 |
| 1950 | #876 | 102 | — | |
| 1949 | #787 | 120 | — | |
| 1948 | #747 | 129 | #3,316 | 6 |
| 1947 | #719 | 140 | — | |
| 1946 | #679 | 138 | #3,525 | 5 |
| 1945 | #737 | 102 | #2,393 | 9 |
| 1944 | #655 | 128 | #3,109 | 6 |
| 1943 | #687 | 122 | — | |
| 1942 | #585 | 159 | — | |
| 1941 | #583 | 144 | #3,505 | 5 |
| 1940 | #565 | 150 | #3,130 | 6 |
| 1939 | #532 | 156 | #2,829 | 7 |
| 1938 | #486 | 188 | #3,175 | 6 |
| 1937 | #436 | 225 | #3,175 | 6 |
| 1936 | #413 | 243 | #2,854 | 7 |
| 1935 | #444 | 212 | #2,719 | 8 |
| 1934 | #400 | 264 | — | |
| 1933 | #371 | 296 | #3,642 | 5 |
| 1932 | #352 | 326 | #2,465 | 10 |
| 1931 | #313 | 420 | #2,207 | 12 |
| 1930 | #272 | 550 | #2,781 | 9 |
| 1929 | #269 | 563 | #3,559 | 6 |
| 1928 | #264 | 598 | #2,522 | 11 |
| 1927 | #253 | 669 | #2,523 | 11 |
| 1926 | #254 | 671 | #2,904 | 9 |
| 1925 | #257 | 668 | #2,755 | 10 |
| 1924 | #246 | 735 | #3,505 | 7 |
| 1923 | #245 | 703 | #3,175 | 8 |
| 1922 | #246 | 692 | #3,014 | 9 |
| 1921 | #251 | 704 | #2,986 | 9 |
| 1920 | #233 | 768 | — | |
| 1919 | #244 | 682 | #2,152 | 14 |
| 1918 | #223 | 798 | #2,260 | 13 |
| 1917 | #216 | 786 | #2,732 | 9 |
| 1916 | #227 | 718 | #2,543 | 10 |
| 1915 | #217 | 741 | #2,184 | 12 |
| 1914 | #214 | 587 | #1,687 | 14 |
| 1913 | #226 | 455 | #2,821 | 5 |
| 1912 | #229 | 387 | #2,269 | 6 |
| 1911 | #221 | 321 | #1,537 | 6 |
| 1910 | #221 | 293 | #1,421 | 6 |
| 1909 | #225 | 250 | #1,277 | 6 |
| 1908 | #210 | 257 | #1,373 | 5 |
| 1907 | #218 | 231 | — | |
| 1906 | #193 | 252 | — | |
| 1905 | #202 | 224 | — | |
| 1904 | #194 | 231 | — | |
| 1903 | #192 | 218 | — | |
| 1902 | #183 | 252 | — | |
| 1901 | #181 | 242 | — | |
| 1900 | #201 | 239 | — | |
| 1899 | #193 | 206 | — | |
| 1898 | #192 | 229 | — | |
| 1897 | #204 | 183 | — | |
| 1896 | #176 | 238 | — | |
| 1895 | #188 | 208 | — | |
| 1894 | #183 | 212 | — | |
| 1893 | #175 | 211 | — | |
| 1892 | #175 | 209 | — | |
| 1891 | #162 | 206 | — | |
| 1890 | #182 | 165 | — | |
| 1889 | #199 | 133 | — | |
| 1888 | #190 | 139 | — | |
| 1887 | #208 | 97 | — | |
| 1886 | #207 | 91 | — | |
| 1885 | #242 | 68 | — | |
| 1884 | #239 | 63 | — | |
| 1883 | #189 | 80 | — | |
| 1882 | #235 | 54 | — | |
| 1881 | #227 | 47 | — | |
| 1880 | #254 | 36 | — | |
In the first year the SSA published name data, Selma was already there! It came in at #254, and was given to 36 baby girls.
Quietest stretch: 1985, when fewer than 12 girls a year got the name.
See more about Selma
- 3 spots since 2024 (#2,775 → #2,778)
- 608 spots since 2020 (#2,170 → #2,778)
- 626 spots since 2015 (#2,152 → #2,778)
- Biggest jump: 63 spots in 1951 (#876 → #813)
- Biggest drop: 102 spots in 1943 (#585 → #687)
- Debuted 1880
- Peaked 1891 at #162 (206 births)
- Births halved by 1945, 54 yrs later
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: never
- Top 1,000: 77 yrs · run 1880–1956
- Highest: 1 in 900 girls born in 1891 were named Selma (0.11%)
- Latest: 1 in 26,349 girls born in 2025 (0.00%)
- 25.2% of all girls named Selma (6,771) were born in this decade
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 808 | #189 (1883) | #219 |
| 1890s | 2,067 | #162 (1891) | #183 |
| 1900s | 2,396 | #181 (1901) | #200 |
| 1910s | 5,768 | #214 (1914) | #224 |
| 1920s | 6,771 | #233 (1920) | #252 |
| 1930s | 2,880 | #272 (1930) | #402 |
| 1940s | 1,332 | #565 (1940) | #674 |
| 1950s | 1,061 | #813 (1951) | #952 |
| 1960s | 681 | #1,005 (1961) | #1,472 |
| 1970s | 251 | #2,043 (1970) | #3,046 |
| 1980s | 225 | #3,066 (1981) | #3,869 |
| 1990s | 398 | #2,153 (1999) | #3,312 |
| 2000s | 956 | #1,643 (2004) | #1,984 |
| 2010s | 882 | #1,853 (2014) | #2,171 |
| 2020s | 405 | #2,170 (2020) | #2,596 |
All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.
Selma in 1917
Top girls' names in 1917
Top boys' names in 1917
More about 1917
girls
1,081,267 girls got a published name in 1917; 1 in 1,376 of them was named Selma, which outranked 95.9% of the 5,310 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.
boys
925,482 boys got a published name in 1917; 1 in 102,831 of them was named Selma, which outranked 40.6% of the 4,602 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 30.9% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).
- #2,562Zelma10
- #2,562Zolton10
- #2,562Zygmund10
- #2,732Selma9
- #2,732Adair9
- #2,732Alba9
- #2,732Aldred9
- #2,956Able8
- #2,956Adalbert8
- #2,956Addis8
Tied with 223 names at #2,732; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.