How Many People Are Named Selma?
An estimated 5,544 people in the United States have the first name Selma. It is predominantly female (98.8%). The average bearer is 48 years old, and Selma peaked in popularity in 1918 with 811 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Selma as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Selma paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Selma is overwhelmingly female, 321 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
Estimated Living Americans
5,544
About 1 in 61,824 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Female
98.8% confidence
Average Age
48
years old
Peak Year
1918
811 births
Total Registered
27,141
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Selma
Selma is predominantly female (98.8%), though 321 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Selma as a male name
Ranked #4,571 in 1961
5 male births in 1961
Peak: 1914 (14 births)
Selma as a female name
Ranked #2,788 in 2024
61 female births in 2024
Peak: 1918 (798 births)
Selma: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Selma span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 6,851 babies were registered. Selma has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Selma by Decade
How has Selma tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Selma by State
Birth registrations for Selma span all 43 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, Pennsylvania, Texas. The lowest are in Oregon, Maine, Idaho. On average, about 398 Selmas were registered per state.
Selma + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Selma as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Selma
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
Selma: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Selma?
We estimate approximately 5,544 people named Selma are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 61,824 Americans share this first name.
Is Selma a common name?
Selma is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 96.7% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 27,141 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Selma most popular?
Selma reached peak popularity in 1918, when 811 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Selma is approximately 48 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Selma a female name?
Selma is predominantly female. 98.8% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Selma Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Selma Smith, Selma Johnson, Selma Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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