Mary vs Selam
Mary and Selamcompared 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.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2011, Mary was ranked #250 and Selam #5785 among girls in England and Wales.
Norway · Girls
In 2002, Mary was ranked #301 and Selam #526 among girls in Norway.
Mary and Selam over time
Mary and Selam appear together in 1 published list, across 21 years of shared records. Mary held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Selam in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Mary reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Selam 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.
List by list
Norway · Girls21 shared years, 1975–2002
Mary held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Selam in 0.
Highest recorded here: Mary #172 in 1980, Selam #254 in 1991.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2002: Mary #301, Selam #526.
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 | Mary | Selam |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #112 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #5785 (2011) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Mary and Selam both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
How each name got here
Mary
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #67 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: #1 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #518 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Selam
Popularity journey
First recorded1975
First recorded at #566 among girls in Norway in 1975 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1975–2002
Highest recorded position: #254 among girls in Norway, in 1991 (recorded 1975–2002).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2011
Most recently recorded at #5785 among girls in England and Wales, in 2011.
England and Wales · Girls