Sadaf vs Selma
Sadaf 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.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Sadaf was ranked #2253 and Selma #2000 among girls in England and Wales.
Sadaf and Selma over time
Sadaf and Selma appear together in 1 published list, across 28 years of shared records. Selma held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Sadaf 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.
Sadaf reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Sadaf and Selma changed places 11 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2024, ending at #2253 and #2000.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls28 shared years, 1996–2024
Sadaf held the stronger position in 11 of those years, Selma in 17.
Highest recorded here: Sadaf #1222 in 1996, Selma #1082 in 2005.
The order changed in 2023: Selma moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #1767 and #2058; by 2023 that had become #3218 and #1705.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Sadaf #2253, 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 | Sadaf | 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 | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW | GB-ENW, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #2253 (2024) | Norway · Girls #11 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 40/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Sadaf and Selma both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW.
How each name got here
Sadaf
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #1222 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #1222 among girls in England and Wales, in 1996 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #2253 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
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