Given name & surname

Selima

“peace”·“one who brings comfort and peace”

Selima is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “peace” and “one who brings comfort and peace” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.

Meaning & origin

What it means

Interpretations include “peace” and “one who brings comfort and peace” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.

Where it comes from

A possible origin is Hebrew, although the derivation remains uncertain.

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1974. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

Selima through the years

Babies since 1880
55
0 boys · 55 girls
Most popular year
1977
7 babies
2025
5
#16,873 for girls
2021–25 vs 2016–20
—
Too few births to compare
0246198020002025Highest share 19773.1
Selima in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1974–2025, per million girls born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 5 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 16,873 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for girls was 7 in 1977. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 218 as a first name in 2020.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

Selima’s family of names

Selima has a related form in Salima. Selima has a related form in Seleama. Selima has a related form in Seleema.

Walk Selima’s family in the name graph

SelimaΣελιμάSelmaSalimaSeleemaSelimahSelimmaSelymaSeleimaSeleamaSeleymaSeliema

Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Nicknames & forms 10

Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.

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Spellings & scripts 1

The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.

People named Selima

Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.

Similar names

If you love Selima, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

Hebrew · Nickname-names

Susannah

“resembling a graceful white lily”

35RareEasing

>99% girls

Hebrew · Biblical

Shelah

“missionary” · “emissary”

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

Irish

Shawna

“God is gracious”

15Very rareCooling

>99% girls

Hebrew

Elizabete

Elizabete is a feminine given name from Hebrew. It is used in Portuguese and Latvian.

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

Hebrew · Biblical

Tiria

“reverence” · “fear”

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

Hebrew · Royal

Tanita

“princess”

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

Hebrew · Biblical

Shoshannah

“resembling a graceful white lily”

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

Hebrew · Biblical

Mirjana

Mirjana is a feminine given name from Hebrew. It is used in Serbo-Croatian.

0Not recently recorded

>99% girls

Sibling ideas

Names that share Selima’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Selima

A sister for Selima