Girls' name · since 1950
Sela
1,328 babies named Sela in U.S. Social Security records since 1950, with the highest year being 2000. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #6,191 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,685 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,328
- born since 1950
- 2000s
- peak decade
Sela currently ranks #4685 among girls' names in America, with 1,328 babies recorded since 1950.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sela has been recorded 1,328 times among girls since 1950, currently ranked #4685 nationally and more common than 73% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 2000s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1950 to 2025.
- #6,191 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #4,685 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 1,328 born since 1950
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sela ranks #6,191 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,685 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 1,328 born since 1950, peaking in the 2000s.
- #6,191 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,685 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,328
- born since 1950
- 2000s
- peak decade
Sela's 1,328 recorded births place it above 91.43% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
8 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Sela compares
1,328 Top 28% higher than 72% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Sela's all-time total is 4x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sela | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,328 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 81 | 21 | 19,840 |
Sela's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Sela's SSA record in two at 2004 and the more recent half accounts for 62% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 38%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1950, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2000 peak of 81, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Sela popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1950–2025
- Peak year (2000)
- 81
- Annual births at peak, across 76 years of records
Sela by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (615 births, 46% of the file).
2000s was Sela's strongest decade.
615 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 46% of all-time use.
Sela births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 17
1950s
17 births
- 1970s 13
1970s
13 births
- 1980s 17
1980s
17 births
- 1990s 188
1990s
188 births
- 2000s
2000s
615 births
- 2010s
2010s
324 births
- 2020s 154
2020s
154 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 615 births (46% of all-time use).
How Sela compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Sela's total volume
Sela by state
Where Sela concentrates geographically, total births since 1950
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 168 | 12.7% |
| #2 | New York | | 34 | 2.6% |
| #3 | Texas | | 32 | 2.4% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 11 | 0.8% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 10 | 0.8% |
| #6 | Oregon | | 5 | 0.4% |
| #7 | Utah | | 5 | 0.4% |
| #8 | Washington | | 5 | 0.4% |
168 of 1,328 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 8 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sela? ▼
Where does Sela sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Sela most popular? ▼
Where is Sela most popular? ▼
How long has the name Sela been used? ▼
What names are similar to Sela? ▼
What to do with Sela's data
- Sela's decade-level peak was the 2000s (615 total births); usage has since declined to 154 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Selas (168 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Sela
Nearby Names Like Sela
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sela
Compare Sela side by side: Sela vs Selena Sela vs Selma Sela vs Selina
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sela
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Sela: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2000)
Similar record span (~75 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1950–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Sela draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.