Given name & surname
Selma
“having divine protection”·“peace”·“one who brings comfort and peace”
Selma has an uncertain origin but a traceable association with the Ossianic poems.
Meaning & origin
What it means
In German use, Selma carries the interpretation “having divine protection.” Selma is a form of Anselma. In German use, Anselma carries the interpretation “having divine protection.” In English use, Selma is a contracted form of Selima. Interpretations include “peace” and “one who brings comfort and peace” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
A possible origin is German, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
Selma is used as a form of Anselma.
The story
Selma is the name of Ossian’s castle in James Macpherson’s poems. Enthusiasm for that literary world probably helped the name find use in Germany and Scandinavia, although its precise linguistic origin is uncertain.
Selma through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 27,202
- 321 boys · 26,881 girls
- Most popular year
- 1918
- 811 babies
- 2025
- 61
- #2,810 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −25%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 61 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,810 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 25.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 798 in 1918. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (10). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 9,055 as a first name in 2020; 153 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Selma’s family of names
In English usage, Selma is a feminine form of Selim. In English usage, Selma has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Salma. In English usage, Selma has a related form in Zelma.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Selma has relatives in 5 languages. Lines run from its German roots to each of them.
6 related names in 5 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Selma
- Selma LagerlöfSwedish writer (1858–1940)
- Selma BlairAmerican actress (born 1972)
- Selma RızaTurkish journalist (1872–1931)
- Selma ErgeçTurkish-German actor (born 1978)
- Selma BjörnsdóttirIcelandic singerborn 1974
- Selma BachaFrench association football playerborn 2000
- Wanda HawleyAmerican actress (1895-1963)
- Selma JamesAmerican feministborn 1930
- Selma GürbüzTurkish painter and sculptor (1960–2021)
Characters named Selma: Selma Bouvier (character on The Simpsons).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Selma, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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