The first name Selma
A girl’s name from Scottish Gaelic meaning “good vision”.
Pronounced /ˈsɛlmə/ 2 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Scottish Gaelic origin
Selma means “good vision” in Scottish Gaelic.
Taken to use in the 19th century when similar-sounding names, Elma, Thelma, Alma, Wilma, etc. were in vogue. Perhaps a shortening of Anselma, or from the name of a place in the James Macpherson's Ossian cycle of epic poems, itself from Scottish Gaelic sealladh + math (“good vision”). In some cases perhaps borrowed from Turkish Selma, from Arabic سَلْمَى (salmā).
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 12 girls were named Selma, making it the 2,278th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2017, with 28 births (#1,219).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Selma with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Selma at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 61 girls born in the United States were named Selma, the 2,810th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1918, when 798 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Selma in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Selma in Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish and Turkish too.
Nicknames and spellings
Other spellings and forms
Famous people named Selma
20 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Selma BlairAmerican actress (born 1972)
- Selma BachaFrench association football player, born 2000
- Selma JamesAmerican feminist, born 1930
- Selma BajramiBosnian singer, born 1980
- Selma Engel-WijnbergDutch Holocaust survivor (1922–2018)
- Selma PoutsmaFrench-Dutch speed skater, born 1999
- Selma Meerbaum-EisingerGerman language lyricist and Holocaust victim (1924-1942)
- Selma VilhunenFinnish filmmaker, born 1976
- Selma BarkhamCanadian historian and geoographer, 1927–2020
- Selma DiamondComedian, writer (1920–1985)
- Selma SelmanAmerican, Bosnian and Roma artist, cultural and social activist, living between NYC and Bi, born 1991
- Selma BurkeAmerican sculptor (1900-1995)
More Scottish Gaelic girls’ names
Questions
- What does the name Selma mean?
- Selma means “good vision” in Scottish Gaelic.
- What is the origin of the name Selma?
- Taken to use in the 19th century when similar-sounding names, Elma, Thelma, Alma, Wilma, etc. were in vogue. Perhaps a shortening of Anselma, or from the name of a place in the James Macpherson's Ossian cycle of epic poems, itself from Scottish Gaelic sealladh + math (“good vision”). In some cases…
- How popular is the name Selma?
- In 2025, 12 girls born in England and Wales were named Selma, ranking 2,278th. Its peak was 2017, with 28 births.
- Is Selma a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 99% of the 27,202 US babies named Selma since 1880 were girls.
- When was Selma most popular?
- 1918 in the United States, when 798 babies were named Selma, its highest rank at 223rd.
- How do you pronounce Selma?
- Selma is /ˈsɛlmə/, 2 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Selma?
- Zelma.