Eli vs Selma
Eli 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, Eli was ranked #221 and Selma #11 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Eli was ranked #4843 and Selma #2000 among girls in England and Wales.
Eli and Selma over time
Eli and Selma appear together in 2 published lists, across 91 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
The order between them changed and held in 2 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Eli reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Selma in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1995, Selma moved ahead of Eli in Norway · Girls — #227 and #284 the year before became #201 and #159.
- Longest-running competitions
Eli and Selma were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 67 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #221 and #11.
List by list
Norway · Girls67 shared years, 1945–2025
Eli held the stronger position in 36 of those years, Selma in 31.
Highest recorded here: Eli #30 in 1945, Selma #5 in 2024.
The order changed in 1995: Selma moved ahead. In 1994 they stood at #227 and #284; by 1995 that had become #201 and #159.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Eli #221, Selma #11.
England and Wales · Girls24 shared years, 1996–2024
Eli held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Selma in 20.
Highest recorded here: Eli #2189 in 1999, Selma #1082 in 2005.
The order changed in 2020: Selma moved ahead. In 2019 they stood at #2499 and #2674; by 2020 that had become #5493 and #2163.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Eli #4843, 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 | Eli | Selma |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | Used for both boys and girls | 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 | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #89 (2025) | Norway · Girls #11 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Eli and Selma both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Eli
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #30 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: #30 among girls in Norway, in 1945 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #89 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
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