Comments
Meaning
Usage
Pronunciation
Famous
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I think of Selma Blair when I hear this name. I think it's very pretty.
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Selma Burke (1900 – 1995) was an American sculptor and a member of the Harlem Renaissance movement. Burke is best known for a bas relief portrait of President Franklin D. Roosevelt which may have been the model for his image on the obverse of the dime. She described herself as "a people's sculptor" and created many pieces of public art, often portraits of prominent African-American figures like Duke Ellington, Mary McLeod Bethune and Booker T. Washington. In 1979, she was awarded the Women's Caucus for Art Lifetime Achievement Award. She summed up her life as an artist, "I really live and move in the atmosphere in which I am creating".
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Also Finnish: https://www.nordicnames.de/wiki/Selma
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According to https://second.wiki/wiki/selma_ossian, "Selma is a fictional royal castle in the work of Ossian by the Scottish poet James Macpherson. The name is derived from the Scottish Gaelic sealladh math ("good view") (Macpherson Seláma, "beautiful to behold")."
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Selma French Bolstad is a Norwegian fiddler and folk singer.
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As of January of this year, there are 106 bearers of this name in Poland.
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I really like Selma. I get it that for a lot of Americans it may sound elderly since so many names ending in -ma feel elderly in the US now like Thelma, Wilma, Elma or Alma. But to me, as a non-native English speaker, it sounds very youthful. It has some magical quality to it. Something very fresh and silvery, that makes me think of forests and rivers and mountains and lakes and springs, basically greenness, wilderness and water, and at the same time of fairies and other magical, beautiful, and rather wild creatures. Also Selma sounds a bit like selkie and I love selkies. Then there's Selma Lagerlöf, I've no idea how well-known she might be in different parts of the world but she was a Swedish children's author. I really like her books and it's actually thanks to her that I first heard of this name. We had to read a fragment of her book at school when I was like ten or so and when I saw the name Selma I immediately loved it.
I like that it doesn't sound too harsh or macho or tomboyish or anything, all the sounds in it are very soft, which like I said makes it sound fresh and youthful to me, but at the same time it has so much strength, energy and dynamism and I think it's a name for a real fighter, someone who is extremely stubborn and above all resilient. And a bit crazy also.
I think it's a pity that it's still mostly seen as an old lady name in the English-speaking world and many other places. I guess it could appeal to people who like names like Emma or Ella or the like. Also I see so many name nerds who love the name Sylvie, which I also like, and I think Selma could be a spunkier alternative.
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I like that it doesn't sound too harsh or macho or tomboyish or anything, all the sounds in it are very soft, which like I said makes it sound fresh and youthful to me, but at the same time it has so much strength, energy and dynamism and I think it's a name for a real fighter, someone who is extremely stubborn and above all resilient. And a bit crazy also.
I think it's a pity that it's still mostly seen as an old lady name in the English-speaking world and many other places. I guess it could appeal to people who like names like Emma or Ella or the like. Also I see so many name nerds who love the name Sylvie, which I also like, and I think Selma could be a spunkier alternative.
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There is a Swedish pop duo called Selma and Gustaf. Selma's full name is Selma Lovisa Maria Edenståhl.
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Selma is a very rare name in Poland (I personally have never come across any Selmas over here), but the name has been in use nevertheless. In January of this year, 173 women in the Polish population had this name as their first name. 72 had it as a middle name. This name wasn't ranked among baby names used for girls last year.
I don't know if it's particularly more common in any specific age group here but I think most Polish people who are familiar with this name would consider it rather elderly-sounding, like a lot of rare, Germanic names.
Possible nicknames may include things like Selmi, Selka, Selmunia etc.
As far as I am aware there is no name day dedicated to Selma in Polish calendars, but since Selma comes from Anselm, a Selma could celebrate her name day in Poland April 21, together with Anzelm.
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I don't know if it's particularly more common in any specific age group here but I think most Polish people who are familiar with this name would consider it rather elderly-sounding, like a lot of rare, Germanic names.
Possible nicknames may include things like Selmi, Selka, Selmunia etc.
As far as I am aware there is no name day dedicated to Selma in Polish calendars, but since Selma comes from Anselm, a Selma could celebrate her name day in Poland April 21, together with Anzelm.
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Selma “Selmers” Forrester is a character in the 2017 video game Night in the Woods. She is a neighbor of the main character, and enjoys writing poetry. One of these poems, as well as Selmers herself, are referenced in the song rät by American musician Penelope Scott.
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I don't understand why the rating is so low on this name?! I think it's beautiful.
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My beautiful fiance's name. I love her name almost as much as I love her.
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I don't like it at all.
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Also Slovene: https://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selma
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Also Estonian: https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selma_(eesnimi)
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I really like this name but I don't have any reasons why. It's just a good name.
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Selma (real name Selma Bjornsdottir) is an Icelandic singer who represented her country twice in 1999 Eurovision and 2005 Eurovision with "All Out Of Luck" (1999) and "If I Had Your Love" (2005). She was the runner up in 1999 and did not qualify in 2005.
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In 2018, 83 is the most common age for an American (U.S.) Selma who is registered female with the Social Security Administration. It is the 2, 006th most common female first name for living U.S. citizens.
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The name Selma was given to 88 girls born in the US in 2015.
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Selma Ergeç is a Turkish-German actress, beauty pageant titleholder, model, designer, philologist, psychologist and doctor.
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The name is also rather common in Iceland. [noted -ed]
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I have lived with this name for 52 years, I looked it up once and found it was also derived from a Spanish man's name: Anselmo.
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Selma is a lake monster said to live in the lake Seljordsvatnet in Seljord, Telemark, Norway.
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The name Selma was given to 72 baby girls born in the US in 2012.
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Reminds me of an Arabic name.
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Selma is also used in Bosnia as a form of the Arabic name Salma.
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Selma Hacker (played by Selma Diamond) was a character on the American TV series "Night Court".
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Selma is a city in Alabama. In 1865 it was a site of the Battle of Selma where over 3000 Civil War soldiers died. Later it was a launch point for protesters attempting to march from Selma to Montgomery. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech at Selma's Brown Chapel AME Church. Whenever I hear the name Selma, I think of the Civil Rights Movement.
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I'm a young American who LOVES this name, despite its 'Simpsons' association. I think it's very dark and oozy sweet at the same time... like molasses :) Selma is a sexy vamp who also bakes the best cookies.
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The German pronunciation is ZEL-mah. [noted -ed]
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I have mixed feelings about this name. I've heard it in Turkey and parts of the Arab world, where I suppose it's a form of Salma. It seems pretty common and youthful there. In English, however, it sounds so old ladyish, not to mention it immediately brings up Selma Bouvier from The Simpsons.
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Possibly derived from the name Salma.
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Aren't there at least two small towns in the country with this name in America? The name has a bit of a hillbilly sound to it in America because of that, but it sounds like a pretty and refreshing enough name in other countries. Unfortunately, it reminds me of the movie Dancer in the Dark, where the character was basically dumber than a box of rocks. I think I'll always associate this name with that illogical disaster of a movie, and hillbilly places in America.
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Selma Ježková is a fictional character from the movie "Dancer In The Dark". She was played by Björk.
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Also a feminine name in Slovenia.
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Selma Bouvier is twin sister of Patty Bouvier, and sister of Marge Simpson on the Simpsons.
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I recently discovered that this name was a family name. I kind of like it. It's classic but a little spunky at the same time. I might even use it someday.
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The name Selma also comes from Selma in "The Poems of Ossian" by James Macpherson. This Selma is a castle and the name is from the Gaelic "shelma", which means "beautiful view".
Selma can also be a form of Selima.
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Selma can also be a form of Selima.
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Hahaha! OMG! I did a name generator and this was the name for the kid: Selma Gina Kellogg! LOL!
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Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf was a Swedish author, known internationally and the first woman awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1909.
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There's a famous actress named Selma Hayek.
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Actress Hayek spells it Salma.
Selma Blair though is an actress with this name.
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Selma Blair though is an actress with this name.
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Comments are left by users of this website. They are not checked for accuracy.
• https://nl.wiktionary.org/wiki/Selma (in Dutch)
• https://nl.forvo.com/search/Selma/nl/ (in Dutch)
• https://youtu.be/x0rmiI80pvg (in Dutch; the name is said at 0:01)
Converted to IPA, it should be: /'sɛl.ma:/ [noted -ed]