Selma vs Yael
Selma and Yaelcompared 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 2025, Selma was ranked #2278 and Yael #1809 among girls in England and Wales.
Selma and Yael over time
Selma and Yael appear together in 1 published list, across 29 years of shared records. Selma held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Yael in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Yael 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
Selma and Yael changed places 12 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2025, ending at #2278 and #1809.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Selma #1082 in 2005, Yael #1715 in 2004.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2025
Selma held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Yael in 9.
Highest recorded here: Selma #1082 in 2005, Yael #1715 in 2004.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Selma #2278, Yael #1809.
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 | Selma | Yael |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, IE, NO | GB-ENW |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #11 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #1809 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Selma has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Yael.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW.
How each name got here
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 #2278 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Yael
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #3126 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 recorded1996–2025
Highest recorded position: #1715 among girls in England and Wales, in 2004 (recorded 1996–2025).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #1809 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls