Fun Facts About the Name Selima
- 55 babies named Selima: U.S. records list 55 babies given the name Selima from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Selima Mean?
Selima is a feminine name of Arabic origin, from salīma (سَلِيمَة), meaning "sound, safe, healthy" - free from harm, injury, or defect. It is the feminine form of the adjective salīm (سَلِيم), "sound, intact, blameless, healthy." Both come from the root s-l-m, the same root that gives salām ("peace") and the words islām and muslim. The literal sense of salīma is wholeness and well-being, describing a person or thing that is uninjured or without flaw. The common gloss "peaceful" is a looser association drawn from the root rather than a direct translation. Selima is normally a variant spelling of the Arabic name Salima; the initial e reflects French, Turkish, or Persian transliteration habits rather than a separate origin.
Selima Name History & Origins
Selima represents the Arabic feminine name Salima (سَلِيمَة), a form long used in Arabic-speaking regions and among Muslim communities in Turkey, Iran, the Balkans, and South Asia. In Turkish the name is written Selime, and Ottoman and Persian sources use Selima or Selime for the same name. It belongs to an old Semitic family of names built on the root s-l-m, which also includes Salim, Salma, and Suleiman; these are related in root but are distinct names with their own forms and histories.
In English, Selima is most familiar from Thomas Gray's 1748 poem "Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat, Drowned in a Tub of Gold Fishes," written about Horace Walpole's cat, which bore the name. The poem gave the name a memorable place in English verse, but it was an existing Arabic name rather than a coinage, and its use as a given name in English has remained uncommon. The literary cat is a famous later use, not the name's earliest appearance.
How Popular is the Name Selima?
Selima has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1977. Its best rank was #8,234 in 1977.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #16,873 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #18,426 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #18,682 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #19,093 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #10,208 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #11,771 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #9,934 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1978 | #9,470 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1977 | #8,234 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1974 | #9,900 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Selima Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are spiritually intense and can sting or charm. Your name brings love and new starts into life and attracts money. In business, you are the creator and promoter of original ideas and usually enjoy considerable financial success. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Selima's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Selima's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.