Selma is a feminine name of ambiguous origin. It could be a form of '' Selima'', which in turn is a name first recorded in a poem by

Thomas Gray Thomas Gray (26 December 1716 – 30 July 1771) was an English poet, letter-writer, classics, classical scholar, and professor at Pembroke College, Cambridge, Pembroke College, Cambridge. He is widely known for his ''Elegy Written in a Country ...

(died 1771). One possibility is that ''Selima'' was influenced by the

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

name '' Selim'' meaning "peaceful". Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 243. In

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

the name is a variantion of the Arabic female name

Salma The South American land mammal ages (SALMA) establish a geologic timescale for prehistoric South American fauna beginning 64.5 Ma during the Paleocene and continuing through to the Late Pleistocene (0.011 Ma). These periods are referred to as a ...

. The name may also have

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

origins, in which case it means "beautiful view". The use of ''Selma'' in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

stems from the

Ossian Ossian (; Irish Gaelic/Scottish Gaelic: ''Oisean'') is the narrator and purported author of a cycle of epic poems published by the Scottish poet James Macpherson, originally as ''Fingal'' (1761) and ''Temora'' (1763), and later combined under t ...

ic poetry of

James Macpherson James Macpherson (Gaelic: ''Seumas MacMhuirich'' or ''Seumas Mac a' Phearsain''; 27 October 1736 – 17 February 1796) was a Scottish writer, poet, literary collector and politician, known as the "translator" of the Ossian cycle of epic poem ...

(died 1796), where it appears as a place name. Fellows-Jensen (2006) pp. 134–136. Vigsø (2001). Its specific popularity in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

is likely due to the Selma poems of

Frans Michael Franzén Frans Michael Franzén (9 February 1772 – 14 August 1847) was a Swedish-Finnish poet and clergyman. He served as the Bishop of the Diocese of Härnösand. Biography Franzén was born in Oulu ( sv, Uleåborg), Northern Ostrobothnia, Sweden ( ...

(died 1847). It was later introduced into

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

by Swedish immigrants, after which it likely became more common due to the works of the author

Selma Lagerlöf Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf (, , ; 20 November 1858 – 16 March 1940) was a Swedish author. She published her first novel, ''Gösta Berling's Saga'', at the age of 33. She was the first woman to win the 1909 Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Pr ...

(died 1940). The given name lost popularity in Sweden during most of the 20th century, but has had an upswing since the 1990s. In 1999, it joined the list of 100 most common names for Swedish female infants, and in 2017 and 2018, it was in the 16th place.

Given name

Selma Bajrami Selma Bajrami (born 4 July 1980) is a Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian pop-folk singer. Her professional music career began when she was a teenager with the release of her first studio album ''Kad suza ne bude...'' in 1998. Early life Bajrami was ...

(born 1980), Bosnian singer *

Selma Björnsdóttir Selma Björnsdóttir (born 13 June 1974), also known as simply Selma or Selma Björns, is an Icelandic actress and singer born in Reykjavík, best known internationally for representing Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest in both 1999 an ...

(born 1974), Icelandic singer, 1999 and 2005 representative in the Eurovision Song Contest *

Selma Blair Selma Blair Beitner (born June 23, 1972) is an American actress. She played a number of roles in films and on television before obtaining recognition for her leading role in the film '' Brown's Requiem'' (1998). Her breakthrough came when she s ...

(born 1972), American actress * Selma Botman (born 1950), American academic * Selma Chalabi, British filmmaker * Selma Cronan (1913–2002), American aviator *

Selma Diamond Selma Diamond (August 5, 1920 – May 13, 1985) was a Canadian-born American comedian, actress, and radio and television writer, known for her high-range, raspy voice and her portrayal of Selma Hacker on the first two seasons of the NBC televisio ...

(1917–2008), American actress * Selma Dritz (1920–1985), American physician and epidemiologist *

Selma Ergeç Selma Sabine Ergeç (; born 1 November 1978) is a Turkish-German actress, beauty pageant titleholder, model, designer, philologist, psychologist and doctor. She is known for her performance in ''Asi'', ''Vatanım Sensin, Yaşamayanlar'' and ''M ...

(born 1978), Turkish-German actress and model *

Selma Ek Selma Ek (3 September 1856 – 3 May 1941) was a Swedish operatic soprano who had an active international career from the 1870s through the 1890s. Like Lilli Lehmann and Lillian Nordica, she was one of those universally talented singers of the lat ...

(1856–1941), Swedish opera singer * Selma Freud (1877–?), Austrian physicist * Selma Giöbel (1843–1925), Swedish artist * Selma Gräfin von der Gröben (1856–1938), German women's rights activist *

Salma Hayek Salma Hayek Pinault ( , ; born Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez; September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well as the ...

(born 1966), Mexican and American actress and producer *

Selma Jacobsson Selma Ida Jacobsson (27 January 1841, in Stockholm – 30 March 1899, in Stockholm) was a Swedish photographer. Selma Jacobsson was born to the merchant Levi Abraham Jacobsson and Sally Pohl, the sister of the opera singer Agnes Jacobsson and t ...

(1841–1899), Swedish photographer *

Selma James Selma James (born Selma Deitch; formerly Weinstein; August 15, 1930) is an American writer, and feminist and social activist who is co-author of the women's movement book ''The Power of Women and the Subversion of the Community'' (with Mariarosa ...

(born 1930), American writer, feminist and social activist *

Selma Aliye Kavaf Selma Aliye Kavaf (born 1 July 1962) is a Turkish politician. She is the former Minister of State Responsible for Women and Family Affairs, and a member of parliament for Denizli of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). Early life ...

(born 1962), Turkish politician *

Selma Kurz Selma Kurz (15 October 1874 – 10 May 1933) was an Austrian operatic dramatic coloratura soprano known for her brilliant coloratura technique. Background Selma Kurz was born in Bielsko-Biała to a very humble Jewish family of eleven childr ...

(1874–1933), Austrian/German operatic soprano *

(1858–1940), Swedish author * Selma Meerbaum-Eisinger (1924–1942), Romanian-born German-language poet *Selma Mayer (1884–1984), Israeli nurse known as Schwester Selma *

Selma Meyer Sara Cato (Selma) Meyer (also Meijer) (Amsterdam, 6 July 1890 – Berlin, 11 February 1941) was a Dutch pacifist, feminist and resistance fighter. Early years and working life She was born into a Jewish family in Amsterdam. Her father was Mori ...

(1890–1941), Dutch-Jewish women's rights activist * Selma Yağcı (born 1981), Turkish boxer

Surname

* Bartolomé de Selma y Salaverde (c. 1595 – after 1638), Spanish composer and dulcian player *

Dick Selma Richard Jay Selma (November 4, 1943 – August 29, 2001) was a professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1965 to 1974. He played for the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Calif ...

(1943–2001), American

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

player * Mai Selma (11th century), last

Duguwa The Zaghawa people, also called Beri or Zakhawa, are a Sahel, Sahelian Muslim ethnic group primarily residing in Fezzan North-eastern Chad, and western Sudan, including Darfur. Zaghawas speak the Zaghawa language, which is an eastern Saharan lan ...

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

of the

Kanem Empire Kanem may refer to: * Kanem–Bornu Empire, existed in modern Chad and Nigeria known to Arabian geographers from the 9th century AD onward and lasted as the independent kingdom of Bornu until 1900 * Kanem Prefecture, of former prefectures of Chad * ...

Fictional characters

Selma Bouvier Patricia Maleficent "Patty" Bouvier and Selma Bouvier-Terwilliger-Hutz-McClure-Discotheque-Simpson-D'Amico () are fictional characters in the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. They are identical twins and are voiced by Julie Kavner who ...

, ''The Simpsons'' character voiced by Julie Kavner *Selma Jezková, fictional character in the Lars von Trier film ''

Dancer in the Dark ''Dancer in the Dark'' is a 2000 musical drama film written and directed by Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier. It stars Icelandic musician Björk as a factory worker who suffers from a degenerative eye condition and is saving for an operation to p ...

'' played by Björk

Citations

Sources

* * * {{given name, type=both English-language feminine given names English feminine given names Estonian feminine given names Danish feminine given names German feminine given names Scandinavian feminine given names Swedish feminine given names Arabic feminine given names Turkish feminine given names