Selma Name Popularity

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How popular is Selma?

In 2018 the rare name Selma, ranked the 2,340th Most Popular Girls Name in the United States.

This once, top 1000 name, Selma is currently less popular.

It reached its highest popularity RANKING of #163 in 1891.

But, the greatest number of babies were given the name in 1918 with 798 occurrences.

The least number of children given the name Selma was 11 in 1985.

Selma, decisively moved upwards in popularity around the years 1880-1883, 1885-1891, 1907-1915, 1958-1961, 1987-1990, and 1993-2004, whereas 1930-1935, 1936-1939, 1965-1968, 1969-1974, and 1982-1985 were years of successive downward movement.

Selma's popularity has been moving upward for some time. however, the number of children named Selma lately has remained about the same.

What does the future hold for the popularity of Selma?

Selma's popularity is at a very low point when measured against its most notable year.

The name Selma is quite distinctive and has recently started to plateu at its present level but may also begin to make a more decisive move up or down.

Relative to what it once was, Selma has fallen out of favor as a given name.

*Mouse over the charts or scroll down to the table for data details.

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for Percentages.

		Selma (Girl)		Selma (Boy)
Year	%	No. of Babies Given Name	Popul. Rank	No. of Babies Given Name	Popul. Rank
2018		78	2,340	< 5	--
2017		88	2,171	< 5	--
2016		95	2,076	< 5	--
2015		88	2,162	< 5	--
2014		109	1,865	< 5	--
2013		82	2,275	< 5	--
2012		72	2,535	< 5	--
2011		96	2,037	< 5	--
2010		86	2,251	< 5	--
2009		87	2,264	< 5	--
2008		90	2,213	< 5	--
2007		100	2,051	< 5	--
2006		103	1,953	< 5	--
2005		117	1,702	< 5	--
2004		118	1,652	< 5	--
2003		96	1,910	< 5	--
2002		74	2,248	< 5	--
2001		90	1,936	< 5	--
2000		81	2,049	< 5	--
1999		70	2,177	< 5	--
1998		64	2,236	< 5	--
1997		54	2,445	< 5	--
1996		42	2,888	< 5	--
1995		32	3,480	< 5	--
1994		22	4,660	< 5	--
1993		17	5,633	< 5	--
1992		32	3,480	< 5	--
1991		30	3,617	< 5	--
1990		35	3,208	< 5	--
1989		24	4,101	< 5	--
1988		26	3,668	< 5	--
1987		19	4,440	< 5	--
1986		27	3,338	< 5	--
1985		11	6,361	< 5	--
1984		19	4,136	< 5	--
1983		18	4,246	< 5	--
1982		27	3,238	< 5	--
1981		28	3,130	< 5	--
1980		25	3,390	< 5	--
1979		19	4,010	< 5	--
1978		22	3,483	< 5	--
1977		26	3,058	< 5	--
1976		20	3,503	< 5	--
1975		22	3,236	< 5	--
1974		17	3,828	< 5	--
1973		26	2,728	< 5	--
1972		23	2,962	< 5	--
1971		37	2,206	< 5	--
1970		40	2,074	< 5	--
1969		35	2,165	< 5	--
1968		34	2,083	< 5	--
1967		40	1,879	< 5	--
1966		54	1,526	< 5	--
1965		91	1,107	< 5	--
1964		63	1,428	< 5	--
1963		66	1,369	< 5	--
1962		90	1,157	< 5	--
1961		116	1,010	5	4,571
1960		93	1,129	< 5	--
1959		90	1,127	< 5	--
1958		90	1,116	5	4,420
1957		105	1,025	< 5	--
1956		115	942	< 5	--
1955		113	926	< 5	--
1954		104	952	8	3,136
1953		119	861	< 5	--
1952		102	919	5	4,189
1951		121	816	5	4,174
1950		102	883	< 5	--
1949		120	789	< 5	--
1948		129	753	6	3,613
1947		140	722	< 5	--
1946		138	679	5	3,949
1945		102	740	9	2,553
1944		128	657	6	3,385
1943		122	688	< 5	--
1942		159	588	< 5	--
1941		144	583	5	3,934
1940		150	567	6	3,417
1939		156	534	7	3,073
1938		188	487	6	3,484
1937		225	438	6	3,476
1936		243	414	7	3,104
1935		212	444	8	2,909
1934		264	401	< 5	--
1933		296	371	5	4,078
1932		325	354	10	2,613
1931		420	313	12	2,312
1930		550	273	9	2,979
1929		563	269	6	3,896
1928		597	264	11	2,626
1927		669	253	11	2,677
1926		672	254	9	3,105
1925		668	257	10	2,904
1924		735	246	7	3,810
1923		703	245	8	3,421
1922		692	246	9	3,212
1921		704	251	9	3,179
1920		768	233	< 5	--
1919		682	244	14	2,245
1918		798	223	13	2,377
1917		786	216	9	2,916
1916		718	228	10	2,705
1915		741	217	12	2,283
1914		587	214	14	1,761
1913		455	226	5	3,196
1912		387	230	6	2,501
1911		321	223	6	1,712
1910		293	221	6	1,559
1909		250	225	6	1,421
1908		257	210	5	1,561
1907		231	218	< 5	--
1906		252	193	< 5	--
1905		224	202	< 5	--
1904		231	194	< 5	--
1903		218	194	< 5	--
1902		252	183	< 5	--
1901		242	181	< 5	--
1900		239	201	< 5	--
1899		206	193	< 5	--
1898		229	193	< 5	--
1897		183	205	< 5	--
1896		238	178	< 5	--
1895		208	188	< 5	--
1894		212	183	< 5	--
1893		211	176	< 5	--
1892		209	175	< 5	--
1891		206	163	< 5	--
1890		165	183	< 5	--
1889		133	201	< 5	--
1888		139	190	< 5	--
1887		97	209	< 5	--
1886		91	209	< 5	--
1885		68	245	< 5	--
1884		63	243	< 5	--
1883		80	189	< 5	--
1882		54	237	< 5	--
1881		47	230	< 5	--
1880		36	259	< 5	--

United States name popularity data is provided by the Social Security Administration and is based on Social Security card applications.

Data for a given year is not made available until well into the next year.

Data reflects what was recorded and has not been edited for errors, so for example the gender associated with a name may be incorrect.

The more babies that are given a particular name, the higher the popularity ranking. If multiple names have the same usage, the tie is broken by assigning popularity rank in alphabetical order. Therefore in the case of names with fewer occurrences, names with the same number of occurrences may have vastly different rankings because they will be interranked alphabetically.

To safeguard privacy, the SSA does not include names with less than 5 occurrences.

Please note, we update the data each May when the SSA releases new figures. All data changes at that time, including previous years, which will change minutely based on new information.