Girls' name · since 1974
Selima
Since 1974, U.S. Social Security records show 55 babies named Selima, peaking in 1977. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #33,972 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #15,344 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 55
- born since 1974
- 1970s
- peak decade
55 babies have been named Selima since 1974, making it today's #15344 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Selima has been recorded 55 times among girls since 1974, currently ranked #15344 nationally and more common than 11% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1970s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1974 to 2025.
- #33,972 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #15,344 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 55 born since 1974
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Selima ranks #33,972 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #15,344 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 55 born since 1974, peaking in the 1970s.
- #33,972 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #15,344 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 55
- born since 1974
- 1970s
- peak decade
Selima's 55 recorded births place it above 52.97% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
How Selima compares
55 17th percentile among 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
Selima's all-time total is 85% below the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Selima | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 55 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 7 | 21 | 19,840 |
Selima's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Selima's full recorded timeline at 1982, 47% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 53% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1974, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1977 peak of 7 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Selima popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1974–2025
- Peak year (1977)
- 7
- Annual births at peak, across 52 years of records
Selima by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (24 births, 44% of the file).
1970s was Selima's strongest decade.
24 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 44% of all-time use.
Selima births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s
1970s
24 births
- 1980s
1980s
11 births
- 2010s
2010s
15 births
- 2020s 5
2020s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 24 births (44% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Selima? ▼
Where does Selima sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Selima most popular? ▼
How long has the name Selima been used? ▼
What names are similar to Selima? ▼
What to do with Selima's data
- Selima's decade-level peak was the 1970s (24 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Selima
Nearby Names Like Selima
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Selima
Compare Selima side by side: Selima vs Selena Selima vs Selma Selima vs Selina
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Selima
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Selima: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1977)
Similar record span (~51 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, 1974–2025 (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 Selima 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.