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

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1891 · 206 births
Debut · girls
36 births
In top 100 · girls
never
of 146 years
Total births · girls
26,881
since 1880

Selma over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Selma has never cracked the top 100 here.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201895peak #162, 1891girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#2,77861—
2024#2,77561—
2023#2,41574—
2022#2,72063—
2021#2,71563—
2020#2,17083—
2019#2,14087—
2018#2,30279—
2017#2,16088—
2016#2,06895—
2015#2,15288—
2014#1,853109—
2013#2,25982—
2012#2,51672—
2011#2,02696—
2010#2,23786—
2009#2,24487—
2008#2,20690—
2007#2,034100—
2006#1,939103—
2005#1,690117—
2004#1,643118—
2003#1,89696—
2002#2,22874—
2001#1,92290—
2000#2,03481—
1999#2,15370—
1998#2,22164—
1997#2,42354—
1996#2,84942—
1995#3,42232—
1994#4,52122—
1993#5,41917—
1992#3,41932—
1991#3,54030—
1990#3,15635—
1989#4,02024—
1988#3,58526—
1987#4,28319—
1986#3,27727—
1985#6,03111—
1984#3,99019—
1983#3,94919—
1982#3,17227—
1981#3,06628—
1980#3,31825—
1979#3,90319—
1978#3,38822—
1977#3,00226—
1976#3,40720—
1975#3,25921—
1974#3,69517—
1973#2,68926—
1972#2,90323—
1971#2,17537—
1970#2,04340—
1969#2,13435—
1968#2,05634—
1967#1,84840—
1966#1,51554—
1965#1,09791—
1964#1,41963—
1963#1,36166—
1962#1,15889—
1961#1,005116#4,0655
1960#1,12693—
1959#1,11891—
1958#1,11290#3,9445
1957#1,021105—
1956#940115—
1955#925113—
1954#945104#2,9428
1953#860118—
1952#914102#3,7345
1951#813121#3,7145
1950#876102—
1949#787120—
1948#747129#3,3166
1947#719140—
1946#679138#3,5255
1945#737102#2,3939
1944#655128#3,1096
1943#687122—
1942#585159—
1941#583144#3,5055
1940#565150#3,1306
1939#532156#2,8297
1938#486188#3,1756
1937#436225#3,1756
1936#413243#2,8547
1935#444212#2,7198
1934#400264—
1933#371296#3,6425
1932#352326#2,46510
1931#313420#2,20712
1930#272550#2,7819
1929#269563#3,5596
1928#264598#2,52211
1927#253669#2,52311
1926#254671#2,9049
1925#257668#2,75510
1924#246735#3,5057
1923#245703#3,1758
1922#246692#3,0149
1921#251704#2,9869
1920#233768—
1919#244682#2,15214
1918#223798#2,26013
1917#216786#2,7329
1916#227718#2,54310
1915#217741#2,18412
1914#214587#1,68714
1913#226455#2,8215
1912#229387#2,2696
1911#221321#1,5376
1910#221293#1,4216
1909#225250#1,2776
1908#210257#1,3735
1907#218231—
1906#193252—
1905#202224—
1904#194231—
1903#192218—
1902#183252—
1901#181242—
1900#201239—
1899#193206—
1898#192229—
1897#204183—
1896#176238—
1895#188208—
1894#183212—
1893#175211—
1892#175209—
1891#162206—
1890#182165—
1889#199133—
1888#190139—
1887#20897—
1886#20791—
1885#24268—
1884#23963—
1883#18980—
1882#23554—
1881#22747—
1880#25436—
First appearance
1880

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.

Where Selma is popular in 1895

The SSA only publishes names by state from 1910 on.

See more about Selma
Momentum · girls
Falling
  • 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)
Rise & fade · girls
11 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1891 at #162 (206 births)
  • Births halved by 1945, 54 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 1,000 for 77 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 77 yrs · run 1880–1956
Share of babies · girls
1 in 900
  • Highest: 1 in 900 girls born in 1891 were named Selma (0.11%)
  • Latest: 1 in 26,349 girls born in 2025 (0.00%)
Era · girls
The 1920s
  • 25.2% of all girls named Selma (6,771) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s808#189 (1883)#219
1890s2,067#162 (1891)#183
1900s2,396#181 (1901)#200
1910s5,768#214 (1914)#224
1920s6,771#233 (1920)#252
1930s2,880#272 (1930)#402
1940s1,332#565 (1940)#674
1950s1,061#813 (1951)#952
1960s681#1,005 (1961)#1,472
1970s251#2,043 (1970)#3,046
1980s225#3,066 (1981)#3,869
1990s398#2,153 (1999)#3,312
2000s956#1,643 (2004)#1,984
2010s882#1,853 (2014)#2,171
2020s405#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 1895

girls
#188
208 births · 1 in 1,123 girls

Top girls' names in 1895

  1. #1Mary13,447
  2. #2Anna5,950
  3. #3Helen4,023
  4. #4Margaret3,931
  5. #5Elizabeth3,603
  6. #6Ruth3,551
  7. #7Florence3,471
  8. #8Ethel3,391
  9. #9Marie3,011
  10. #10Emma2,952
  11. #188Selma208
More about 1895

girls

233,627 girls got a published name in 1895; 1 in 1,123 of them was named Selma, which outranked 89.6% of the 1,808 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 20.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Selma
  1. #184Tillie212
  2. #186Callie211
  3. #187Mayme209
  4. #188Selma208
  5. #188Velma208
  6. #190Isabelle205
  7. #191Erma203
  8. #191Leah203

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1894
Risers
  1. ↑ 715Glenn#1,353 → #638
  2. ↑ 670Drusilla#1,485 → #815
  3. ↑ 670Gertha#1,485 → #815
  4. ↑ 670Lorine#1,485 → #815
  5. ↑ 627Leva#1,485 → #858
Fallers
  1. ↓ 848Gina#744 → #1,592
  2. ↓ 848Laurel#744 → #1,592
  3. ↓ 848Pennie#744 → #1,592
  4. ↓ 810Buena#782 → #1,592
  5. ↓ 780Albertina#812 → #1,592

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1895 →