Jelena vs Selma
Jelena 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 2010, Jelena was ranked #593 and Selma #25 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2017, Jelena was ranked #5765 and Selma #1219 among girls in England and Wales.
Jelena and Selma over time
Jelena and Selma appear together in 2 published lists, across 45 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.
Jelena 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
Jelena and Selma were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 32 years, from 1962 to 2010, ending at #593 and #25.
List by list
Norway · Girls32 shared years, 1962–2010
Jelena held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Selma in 11.
Highest recorded here: Jelena #183 in 1981, Selma #25 in 2010.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2010: Jelena #593, Selma #25.
England and Wales · Girls13 shared years, 1996–2017
Jelena held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Selma in 11.
Highest recorded here: Jelena #1836 in 2004, Selma #1093 in 2008.
The order changed in 2006: Selma moved ahead. In 2005 they stood at #1836 and #2112; by 2006 that had become #4157 and #1153.
Most recent shared year, 2017: Jelena #5765, Selma #1219.
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 | Jelena | 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 | 3 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, NO | GB-ENW, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #5765 (2017) | 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) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Jelena has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Selma.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Jelena
Popularity journey
First recorded1952
First recorded at #414 among girls in Norway in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1952–2010
Highest recorded position: #183 among girls in Norway, in 1981 (recorded 1952–2010).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2017
Most recently recorded at #5765 among girls in England and Wales, in 2017.
England and Wales · 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