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Girl

Selma

As a girl's name, Selma traces back to Arabic, where it is understood to mean "Arabic/Celtic". It peaked back in the 1920s and has been gradually easing since. In the current registry, it is uncommon enough to feel personal. It has quietly persisted through most of the last century of American birth records.

ArabicArabic/Celtic
EtymologyMeaning "peace" or "fair-skinned"
Births by decade
1900s
2,407
1910s
5,863
1920s
6,851
1930s
2,949
1940s
1,369
1950s
1,084
1960s
687
1970s
252
1980s
224
1990s
398
2000s
956
2010s
714
Peaked in the 1920s · 23,754 total U.S. births since 1900