Salma vs Selma
Salma 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, Salma was ranked #416 and Selma #11 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Salma was ranked #722 and Selma #2000 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2012, Salma was ranked #768 and Selma #907 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Salma and Selma over time
Salma and Selma appear together in 2 published lists, across 74 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.
Salma 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
Salma and Selma were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 46 years, from 1953 to 2025, ending at #416 and #11.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Salma #295 in 2003, Selma #1082 in 2005.
List by list
Norway · Girls46 shared years, 1953–2025
Salma held the stronger position in 2 of those years, Selma in 44.
Highest recorded here: Salma #228 in 2017, Selma #5 in 2024.
The order changed in 1988: Selma moved ahead. In 1987 they stood at #469 and #470; by 1988 that had become #592 and #342.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Salma #416, Selma #11.
England and Wales · Girls28 shared years, 1996–2024
Salma held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Selma in 0.
Highest recorded here: Salma #295 in 2003, Selma #1082 in 2005.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Salma #722, 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 | Salma | 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-SCT, IE, NO | GB-ENW, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #416 (2025) | 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) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Salma and Selma both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE, NO.
How each name got here
Salma
Popularity journey
First recorded1953
First recorded at #433 among girls in Norway in 1953 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1953–2025
Highest recorded position: #228 among girls in Norway, in 2017 (recorded 1953–2025).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #416 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