Eileen vs Selma
Eileen and Selmacompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Eileen was ranked #501 and Selma #11 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2015, Eileen was ranked #362 and Selma #896 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Eileen was ranked #855 and Selma #2000 among girls in England and Wales.
Eileen and Selma over time
Eileen and Selma appear together in 2 published lists, across 89 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Eileen and Selma changed places 10 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2024, ending at #855 and #2000.
- Longest-running competitions
Eileen and Selma were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 61 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #501 and #11.
List by list
Norway · Girls61 shared years, 1945–2025
Eileen held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Selma in 40.
Highest recorded here: Eileen #224 in 1972, Selma #5 in 2024.
The order changed in 1991: Selma moved ahead. In 1990 they stood at #364 and #423; by 1991 that had become #432 and #347.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Eileen #501, Selma #11.
England and Wales · Girls28 shared years, 1996–2024
Eileen held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Selma in 6.
Highest recorded here: Eileen #855 in 2024, Selma #1082 in 2005.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Eileen #855, Selma #2000.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Eileen | Selma |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | GB-ENW, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #443 (2025) | Norway · Girls #11 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Eileen and Selma both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Eileen
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #324 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #17 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #501 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Selma
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #352 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #5 among girls in Norway, in 2024 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #11 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls