Namewise

Maud vs Selma

Maud 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, Maud was ranked #161 and Selma #11 among girls in Norway.

  • England and Wales · Girls

    In 2024, Maud was ranked #2574 and Selma #2000 among girls in England and Wales.

Maud and Selma over time

Maud and Selma appear together in 2 published lists, across 70 years of shared records. Selma held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Maud in 0.

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.

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.

  • Repeatedly exchanged positions

    Maud and Selma changed places 5 times in Norway · Girls between 1945 and 2025, ending at #161 and #11.

  • Longest-running competitions

    Maud and Selma were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 42 years, from 1945 to 2025, ending at #161 and #11.

  • Peaked in the same years

    Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Maud #1843 in 2003, Selma #1082 in 2005.

List by list

  • Norway · Girls42 shared years, 19452025

    Maud held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Selma in 37.

    Highest recorded here: Maud #161 in 2025, Selma #5 in 2024.

    The order changed in 1985: Selma moved ahead. In 1984 they stood at #617 and #628; by 1985 that had become #571 and #430.

    Most recent shared year, 2025: Maud #161, Selma #11.

  • England and Wales · Girls28 shared years, 19962024

    Maud held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Selma in 24.

    Highest recorded here: Maud #1843 in 2003, Selma #1082 in 2005.

    The order changed in 2002: Selma moved ahead. In 2001 they stood at #1870 and #2023; by 2002 that had become #4137 and #1245.

    Most recent shared year, 2024: Maud #2574, 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

Side-by-side comparison of Maud, Selma
FieldMaudSelma
Record typeOfficial statistical record (evidence-only)Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usagefemalefemale
MeaningNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
OriginNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
PronunciationNot yet recorded
Syllables12
Common variants / nicknamesNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageGB-ENW, GB-SCT, IE, NOGB-ENW, IE, NO
Most recent popularity observationNorway · Girls #161 (2025)Norway · Girls #11 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)Not yet recordedNot yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)95/10094/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)100/100100/100
Data Confidencemediummedium

What the data shows

  • Maud has 1 syllable, compared with 2 for Selma.
  • Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.

How each name got here

Maud

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1945

    First recorded at #288 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.

    Norway · Girls

  2. Highest recorded1945–2025

    Highest recorded position: #161 among girls in Norway, in 2025 (recorded 1945–2025).

    Norway · Girls

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #161 among girls in Norway, in 2025.

    Norway · Girls

Selma

Popularity journey

  1. 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

  2. Highest recorded1945–2025

    Highest recorded position: #5 among girls in Norway, in 2024 (recorded 1945–2025).

    Norway · Girls

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #11 among girls in Norway, in 2025.

    Norway · Girls