65%RatingSave Gender Feminine Usage English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic Pronounced Pron. /ˈsɛl.mə/(English) /ˈzɛl.ma/(German) /ˈsɛl.maː/(Dutch) [key·simplify] Meaning & HistoryExpand Links Meaning unknown, possibly a short form of Anselma. It could also have been inspired by James Macpherson's 18th-century poems, in which it is the name of Ossian's castle. Related NamesFamily Tree·Details VariantZelma(English) Same SpellingSelma 2 PopularityDetails Last ranked #190 in 2012 Belgium Last ranked #97 in 2019 Bosnia and Herzegovina Last ranked #539 in 1990 Brazil (by decade) Last ranked #49 in 2011 Denmark Last ranked #24 in 2023 Finland Last ranked #203 in 2023 France Last ranked #498 in 2020 Netherlands Last ranked #8 in 2023 Norway Last ranked #4 in 2023 Sweden Last ranked #99 in 1995 Turkey Last ranked #940 in 1956 United States People think this name isRate·Details classic natural refined strange serious Name DaysName Days? Estonia: December 5Finland: December 5Norway: February 21Poland: April 21Sweden: June 27 Categories black history, currently out of the US top 1000, ends in -elma, feminine forms, Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest, isograms, potato varieties, sculptors, Simpsons characters, Squishmallows, Suikoden characters, top 10 in Norway, uncertain etymology