Isa vs Selma
Isa 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, Isa was ranked #404 and Selma #11 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2015, Isa was ranked #896 and Selma #896 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Isa was ranked #4192 and Selma #2000 among girls in England and Wales.
Isa and Selma over time
Isa and Selma appear together in 2 published lists, across 51 years of shared records. Selma held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Isa 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.
Isa 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.
- Longest-running competitions
Isa and Selma were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 30 years, from 1988 to 2025, ending at #404 and #11.
List by list
Norway · Girls30 shared years, 1988–2025
Isa held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Selma in 30.
Highest recorded here: Isa #247 in 2008, Selma #5 in 2024.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Isa #404, Selma #11.
England and Wales · Girls21 shared years, 1996–2024
Isa held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Selma in 20.
Highest recorded here: Isa #2683 in 1996, Selma #1082 in 2005.
The order changed in 1999: Selma moved ahead. In 1998 they stood at #2683 and #3795; by 1999 that had become #3900 and #2444.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Isa #4192, 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 | Isa | 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 | GB-ENW, GB-SCT, IE, NO | GB-ENW, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Boys #213 (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
- Isa and Selma both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Isa
Popularity journey
First recorded1961
First recorded at #471 among boys in Norway in 1961 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1961–2025
Highest recorded position: #170 among boys in Norway, in 2023 (recorded 1961–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #404 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