Heidi vs Selma
Heidi 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, Heidi was ranked #437 and Selma #11 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Heidi was ranked #107 and Selma #2000 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2015, Heidi was ranked #109 and Selma #896 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Heidi and Selma over time
Heidi and Selma appear together in 2 published lists, across 95 years of shared records. Heidi held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Selma in 0.
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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2000, Selma moved ahead of Heidi in Norway · Girls — #97 and #127 the year before became #109 and #94.
- Mirrored each other
Over 67 shared years in Norway · Girls, Selma rose about as far as Heidi fell — from #188 and #352 in 1945 to #437 and #11 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Heidi and Selma were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 67 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #437 and #11.
List by list
Norway · Girls67 shared years, 1945–2025
Heidi held the stronger position in 41 of those years, Selma in 26.
Highest recorded here: Heidi #2 in 1969, Selma #5 in 2024.
The order changed in 2000: Selma moved ahead. In 1999 they stood at #97 and #127; by 2000 that had become #109 and #94.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Heidi #437, Selma #11.
England and Wales · Girls28 shared years, 1996–2024
Heidi held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Selma in 0.
Highest recorded here: Heidi #76 in 2016, Selma #1082 in 2005.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Heidi #107, 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 | Heidi | Selma |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | A German diminutive of Adelheid. Gained wide recognition through Johanna Spyri's 1880 children's novel Heidi, and its 1937 film adaptation starring Shirley Temple. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Germanic, diminutive of Adelheid | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈhaɪ̯.di/ | |
| 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 | Republic of Ireland · Girls #91 (2025) | Norway · Girls #11 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Heidi has a recorded origin (Germanic, diminutive of Adelheid); Selma does not have one recorded yet.
- Heidi and Selma both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Heidi; Selma doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Heidi
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #188 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: #2 among girls in Norway, in 1965 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #437 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