Skip to content
Name Lineage

    The first name Zelma

    A girl’s name from Arabic.

    2 syllables Female

    Meaning and origin

    Arabic origin

    A female given name from Arabic, variant of Selma.

    A form of Selma.

    From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    Popularity in the United States

    Babies named Zelma at birth, 1880–2025

    In 2025, 16 girls born in the United States were named Zelma, the 7,128th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1919, when 488 were.

    0250500 188018851890189519001905191019151920192519301935194019451950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025
    16,936
    babies named Zelma since 1880
    #7,128
    rank in 2025
    1919
    peak year

    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.

    More Arabic girls’ names

    All 218 names of Arabic origin

    Questions

    What is the origin of the name Zelma?
    Zelma comes from Arabic.
    Is Zelma a boy's or a girl's name?
    Mostly a girl's name: 99% of the 16,936 US babies named Zelma since 1880 were girls.
    When was Zelma most popular?
    1919 in the United States, when 488 babies were named Zelma, its highest rank at 287th.
    What name is Zelma a form of?
    Zelma is a form of Selma.