Total births
26,881
Girls' name · since 1880
Selma
Selma has 26,881 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1918 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #2776
- among girls today
- 26,881
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 84%
- more common than other girls
26,881 babies have been named Selma since 1880, making it today's #2776 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Selma has been recorded 26,881 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #2776 nationally and more common than 84% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #2776 among girls today
- 26,881 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 84% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Selma is currently the #2776 girls' name in America, more common than 84% of girls - 26,881 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #2776
- among girls today
- 26,881
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 84%
- more common than other girls
Selma vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#2776
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 84% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
25% of everyone ever named Selma was born in this single decade.
1918
Single peak year
798 babies were named Selma in 1918 - its busiest year on record.
How Selma compares
26,881 Top 5% higher than 95% of 17,726 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
Selma's all-time total is 70x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Selma | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 26,881 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 798 | 48 | 19,840 |
Selma's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Selma's full recorded timeline at 1953, 17% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 83% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1985, with just 11 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1918 peak of 798 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Selma at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1918
Current rank
#2,776
Active since
1880
Selma popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 798
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Selma popularity over time - boys
321 total births recorded since 1908 (Selma as boys' name)
Selma by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Selma's strongest decade.
6,771 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Selma births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 808
1880s
808 births
- 1890s 2,067
1890s
2,067 births
- 1900s 2,396
1900s
2,396 births
- 1910s
1910s
5,768 births
- 1920s
1920s
6,771 births
- 1930s
1930s
2,880 births
- 1940s 1,332
1940s
1,332 births
- 1950s 1,061
1950s
1,061 births
- 1960s 681
1960s
681 births
- 1970s 251
1970s
251 births
- 1980s 225
1980s
225 births
- 1990s 398
1990s
398 births
- 2000s 956
2000s
956 births
- 2010s 882
2010s
882 births
- 2020s 405
2020s
405 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 6,771 births (25% of all-time use).
How Selma 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 Selma's total volume
Selma vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Selma by state
Where Selma concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 4,726 | 17.6% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 1,344 | 5.0% |
| #3 | Texas | | 1,235 | 4.6% |
| #4 | North Carolina | | 878 | 3.3% |
| #5 | California | | 756 | 2.8% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 707 | 2.6% |
| #7 | Massachusetts | | 652 | 2.4% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 649 | 2.4% |
New York share of Selma's total US births 17.6%
Even split
4,726 of 26,881 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 43 reporting states.
Selma appears in 43 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Selma? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 26,881 babies named Selma. Today it holds rank #2776 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1918, with 798 births.
When was Selma most popular? ▼
Selma was most popular in the 1920s decade with 6,771 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Selma most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Selma are New York (4,726 births), Pennsylvania (1,344 births), Texas (1,235 births).
How long has the name Selma been used? ▼
Selma has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Selma? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Selena, Selina, Selah, Selene, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Selma's data
- Selma's decade-level peak was the 1920s (6,771 total births); usage has since declined to 405 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Selmas (4,726 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Selma
Nearby Names Like Selma
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Selma
Selena Girl
#245 59,887 births
Selina Girl
#1306 19,225 births
Selah Girl
#279 15,187 births
Selene Girl
#674 9,713 births
Sela Girl
#4132 1,328 births
Compare Selma side by side: Selma vs Selena Selma vs Selina Selma vs Selah
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Selma
Jeanette #2775
163,440 births · Peak 1939
Adella #2777
5,998 births · Peak 1920
Souline #2774
386 births · Peak 2021
Iona #2778
12,251 births · Peak 1918
Kulture #2773
289 births · Peak 2024
Nella #2779
4,374 births · Peak 1927
Zhavia #2772
1,096 births · Peak 2018
Clarice #2780
25,474 births · Peak 1921
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Selma: #2776 Girls' Name - 26,881 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/selma. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Selma 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 June 2026.