How popular is the baby name Selma in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Selma.

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Popularity of the baby name Selma


Posts that mention the name Selma

Popular baby names in Finland, 2021

Flag of Finland
Flag of Finland

The country of Finland is located in Northern Europe and shares land borders with Russia, Sweden, and Norway.

Most of the people in Finland speak Finnish (86.5%), but the rest of the population speaks either Swedish (5.2%), Sami (0.04%), or some other language (8.3%) such as Russian, Estonian, or Arabic.

Last year, Finland welcomed over 51,000 babies. At the time the country released its baby name data, 50,547 of these babies — 24,764 girls and 25,783 boys — had been named.

And what were the most popular names overall? Olivia and Leo.

Finland’s baby name data is broken down by language group, so let’s start with the Finnish speakers…

Finnish speakers

Of the 41,478 (named) babies born to Finnish speakers in Finland last year, 20,301 were girls and 21,177 were boys.

Here are the top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2021:

Girl Names

  1. Olivia, 312 baby girls
  2. Lilja, 274
  3. Eevi, 272
  4. Sofia, 271
  5. Venla, 254 (3-way tie)
  6. Aino, 254 (3-way tie)
  7. Isla, 254 (3-way tie)
  8. Aada, 240
  9. Emma, 233
  10. Aava, 230
  11. Helmi, 225
  12. Linnea, 214 (tie)
  13. Ellen, 214 (tie)
  14. Kerttu, 202
  15. Pihla, 201
  16. Ella, 197
  17. Viola, 195
  18. Hilla, 189
  19. Elli, 188
  20. Seela, 187
  21. Enni, 179
  22. Emilia, 178
  23. Alma, 168
  24. Livia, 160
  25. Minea, 159
  26. Matilda, 157
  27. Elsa, 154
  28. Ilona, 140 (tie)
  29. Mila, 140 (tie)
  30. Hilda, 138
  31. Amanda, 134 (tie)
  32. Alisa, 134 (tie)
  33. Elsi, 132 (tie)
  34. Alina, 132 (tie)
  35. Hilma, 125
  36. Frida, 124
  37. Mette, 120
  38. Hertta, 119 (tie)
  39. Lumi, 119 (tie)
  40. Nella, 117
  41. Aurora, 115
  42. Siiri, 113
  43. Vilma, 110
  44. Saimi, 107 (tie)
  45. Selma, 107 (tie)
  46. Viivi, 105 (tie)
  47. Iida, 105 (tie)
  48. Oona, 104
  49. Martta, 102
  50. Neela, 92

Boy Names

  1. Leo, 397 baby boys
  2. Eino, 394
  3. Oliver, 371
  4. Elias, 362
  5. Väinö, 361
  6. Onni, 301
  7. Eeli, 279
  8. Noel, 276
  9. Toivo, 259
  10. Joel, 245
  11. Aatos, 230 – a Finnish term meaning “thought”
  12. Hugo, 229
  13. Emil, 224
  14. Leevi, 218
  15. Vilho, 211
  16. Alvar, 202
  17. Eemil, 186
  18. Eetu, 179
  19. Oiva, 178 – means “splendid” in Finnish
  20. Julius, 177
  21. Viljami, 176
  22. Nooa, 172
  23. Niilo, 168
  24. Otso, 157 – means “bear” in Finnish
  25. Lenni, 153
  26. Daniel, 151
  27. Anton, 149
  28. Luka, 148
  29. Aapo, 143
  30. Kasper, 142
  31. Aarni, 140
  32. Eelis, 139 (tie)
  33. Matias, 139 (tie)
  34. Veikko, 138 (tie)
  35. Aaron, 138 (tie)
  36. Mikael, 135
  37. Edvin, 134
  38. Benjamin, 130
  39. Jasper, 127 (3-way tie)
  40. Samuel, 127 (3-way tie)
  41. Rasmus, 127 (3-way tie)
  42. Eemeli, 126 (3-way tie)
  43. Milo, 126 (3-way tie)
  44. Niklas, 126 (3-way tie)
  45. Jooa, 123
  46. Iivo, 120 (3-way tie)
  47. Veeti, 120 (3-way tie)
  48. Max, 120 (3-way tie)
  49. Lucas, 117
  50. Urho, 116

Minna Saarelma-Paukkala, a researcher at the University of Helsinki, had this to say about Finland’s unique baby names:

Many of them are nature-related, such as Havu (Sprig), Vadelma (Raspberry), Skysy (Autumn) or Tyrsky (Wave). Many new names are also created on the basis of older names, such as snow (Lumi) related ones like Lumia, Lumiina and Lumitähti.

She also noted that names trendy in Finland in the 1940s — particularly those beginning with the letter r, such as Ritva and Raimo — could be coming back. “Reino, for example, has already risen into the top 100.” (Reino is the Finnish form of Reynold.)

Swedish speakers

Of the 3,458 (named) babies born to Swedish speakers in Finland last year, 1,698 were girls and 1,760 were boys. Here are the top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names:

Girl NamesBoy Names
1. Saga, 35
2. Stella, 29
3. Ellen, 27
4. Edith, 24
5. Olivia, 23
6. Astrid, 21 (tie)
7. Ebba, 21 (tie)
8. Elsa, 20
9. Selma, 19
10. Tove/Iris/Livia, 18 each (3-way tie)		1. Liam, 35
2. Oliver, 29
3. Benjamin, 28
4. William, 27
5. Alvar, 26
6. Hugo, 25
7. Theo, 23 (5-way tie)
8. Emil, 23 (5-way tie)
9. Frans, 23 (5-way tie)
10. Leon/Elias, 23 each (5-way tie)

Interestingly, Alice and Noah — the top names in Sweden — weren’t as popular among the Swedes of Finland. Alice didn’t even make the top 50. (Noah ranked 50th exactly.)

Other languages

Of the 5,611 (named) babies born in Finland last year to parents who speak something other than Finnish or Swedish, 2,765 were girls and 2,846 were boys. Here are the top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names:

Girl NamesBoy Names
1. Sofia, 48
2. Maria, 24
3. Eva, 20
4. Emma, 19 (tie)
5. Mia, 19 (tie)
6. Anna, 18
7. Emilia, 17 (3-way tie)
8. Mila, 17 (3-way tie)
9. Sara, 17 (3-way tie)
10. Mira/Olivia, 16 each (tie)		1. Adam, 38
2. Elias, 35
3. Daniel, 27
4. Leo, 26
5. Muhammad, 21
6. Mark, 20
7. Oliver, 17
8. Benjamin, 15 (3-way tie)
9. Lucas, 15 (3-way tie)
10. Mikael, 15 (3-way tie)

Finally, here are Finland’s 2020 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

Sources: Suosituimmat Etunimet | Digi- ja väestötietovirasto, Olivia and Leo Finland’s most popular baby names in 2021, Population and Society – Statistics Finland, Behind the Name

Image: Adapted from Flag of Finland (public domain)

Popular baby names in Sweden, 2021

Flag of Sweden
Flag of Sweden

The Nordic country of Sweden is located in Northern Europe and shares land borders with Norway and Finland.

Last year, Sweden welcomed over 114,200 babies — nearly 55,800 girls and close to 58,500 boys.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Alice and Noah.

Here are Sweden’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2021:

Girl names

  1. Alice, 706 baby girls
  2. Maja, 681
  3. Vera, 674
  4. Alma, 667
  5. Selma, 660
  6. Elsa, 652
  7. Lilly, 625
  8. Ella, 606
  9. Astrid, 596
  10. Wilma, 586
  11. Ellie, 584
  12. Olivia, 555
  13. Freja, 551
  14. Leah, 547
  15. Ines, 539
  16. Signe, 534
  17. Stella, 511
  18. Ebba, 509
  19. Clara, 492
  20. Saga, 481
  21. Alva, 479
  22. Agnes, 473
  23. Ester, 441
  24. Hedda, 423
  25. Alicia, 398 (tie)
  26. Mila, 398 (tie)
  27. Julia, 388
  28. Iris, 372
  29. Molly, 370
  30. Luna, 362
  31. Juni, 355
  32. Sigrid, 353
  33. Ellen, 346
  34. Leia, 334
  35. Nova, 306
  36. Livia, 303
  37. Lova, 298
  38. Celine, 294
  39. Meja, 289
  40. Emilia, 286
  41. Elvira, 279
  42. Elise, 275 (tie)
  43. Nora, 275 (tie)
  44. Linnea, 273
  45. Liv, 271
  46. Edith, 265 (tie)
  47. Lo, 265 (tie)
  48. Sofia, 262
  49. Sara, 259
  50. Tyra, 256

Boy names

  1. Noah, 745 baby boys
  2. William, 726
  3. Liam, 683
  4. Hugo, 679
  5. Lucas, 668
  6. Adam, 643
  7. Oliver, 635
  8. Matteo, 632
  9. Frans, 581
  10. Elias, 577
  11. Walter, 576
  12. Leo, 562
  13. Leon, 550
  14. Oscar, 547
  15. Alfred, 540
  16. August, 531
  17. Nils, 521
  18. Harry, 509
  19. Theo, 505
  20. Sam, 498
  21. Otto, 481
  22. Ludvig, 476
  23. Arvid, 468
  24. Elliot, 456
  25. Charlie, 442
  26. Malte, 439
  27. Isak, 438
  28. Alexander, 429
  29. Louie, 425
  30. Theodor, 420
  31. Ebbe, 406
  32. Adrian, 403
  33. Olle, 398 (tie)
  34. Vincent, 398 (tie)
  35. Benjamin, 394
  36. Filip, 389
  37. Melvin, 377
  38. Love, 375
  39. Axel, 368
  40. Gabriel, 366
  41. Henry, 343
  42. Mohammed, 337
  43. Jack, 329
  44. Elton, 327
  45. Colin, 325
  46. Josef, 322
  47. Aron, 319
  48. Viggo, 309
  49. Edvin, 305
  50. Albin, 304

(Each of these names represents the most common spelling of that name, but “the numbers include all alternative spellings,” according to Statistics Sweden.)

In the girls’ top 10, Vera and Lilly replaced Olivia and Freja.

In the boys’ top 10, Frans — which jumped to 9th place from 27th the year before — replaced Oscar.

The names in Sweden’s top 100 that rose the fastest from 2020 to 2021 were Alba and Ted. (The previous fastest-rising male name, Björn, was second-fastest this time around.) The names that saw the steepest drops in usage were Ronja and Vincent.

In 2020, the top two names were also Alice and Noah.

Source: Name Statistics – Statistics Sweden

Image: Adapted from Flag of Sweden (public domain)

Popular baby names in Sweden, 2020

Flag of Sweden
Flag of Sweden

According to Statistics Sweden, the most popular baby names in the country last year were Alice and Noah.

Here are Sweden’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2020:

Girl Names

  1. Alice, 794 baby girls
  2. Maja, 670
  3. Elsa, 643
  4. Astrid, 607 (tie)
  5. Wilma, 607 (tie)
  6. Freja, 596
  7. Olivia, 587
  8. Selma, 578
  9. Alma, 577
  10. Ella, 575

Boy Names

  1. Noah, 758 baby boys
  2. William, 742
  3. Hugo, 712
  4. Lucas, 709
  5. Liam, 698
  6. Oscar, 671
  7. Oliver, 649
  8. Matteo, 646
  9. Elias, 642
  10. Adam, 602

In the girls’ top 10, Elsa, Freja and Selma replaced Lilly, Vera and Ebba.

The boys’ top 10 includes the same 10 names, but in a different order.

The names in Sweden’s top 100 that rose the fastest from 2019 to 2020 were Bonnie and Björn. The names that fell the fastest were Bianca and Wilmer.

In 2019, the top names were Alice and Lucas.

Source: Name Statistics – SCB

Image: Adapted from Flag of Sweden (public domain)

Numerology: Baby names with a value of 5

Baby names with a numerological value of 5

If you’re on the hunt for baby names with a numerological value of 5, you’re in luck! Because today’s post features hundreds of 5-names.

Before we get to the names, though — how do we know that they’re “fives” in numerology?

Turning names into numbers

Here’s how to calculate the numerological value of a name.

First, for each letter, come up with a number to represent that letter’s position in the alphabet. (Letter A would be number 1, letter B would be number 2, and so forth.) Then, add all the numbers together. If the sum has two or more digits, add the digits together recursively until the result is a single digit. That single digit is the name’s numerological value.

For instance, the letters in the name Peyton correspond to the numbers 16, 5, 25, 20, 15, and 14. The sum of these numbers is 95. The digits of 95 added together equal 14, and the digits of 14 added together equal 5 — the numerological value of Peyton.

Baby names with a value of 5

Below you’ll find the most popular 5-names per gender, according to the latest U.S. baby name data. I’ve further sub-categorized them by total sums — just in case any of those larger numbers are significant to anyone.

5 via 14

The letters in the following baby names add up to 14, which reduces to five (1+4=5).

Girl names (5 via 14)Boy names (5 via 14)
Ida, Adah, Caia, Dia, BeccaAhad, Adi, Dj, Kc, Jac

5 via 23

The letters in the following baby names add up to 23, which reduces to five (2+3=5).

Girl names (5 via 23)Boy names (5 via 23)
Mia, Alia, Aila, Adela, Cara, Addie, Laia, Edie, Jaci, AmiCaleb, Coda, Acen, Iam, Adem

5 via 32

The letters in the following baby names add up to 32, which reduces to five (3+2=5).

Girl names (5 via 32)Boy names (5 via 32)
Emma, Bella, Sage, Lena, Eve, Rhea, Lara, Veda, Giana, Avah, Amiah, Ciara, Danica, Adalie, Lane, Iva, Elif, Aadya, Alaiah, Gigi, Adelia, Aleida, Adaya, Avi, Hera, AileeLeo, Lane, Sage, Reed, Avi, Jakai, Dash, Leif, Aldo, Cecil, Neal, Eder, Nael, Elan, Caine, Dave, Ram, Caeden, Alen

5 via 41

The letters in the following baby names add up to 41, which reduces to five (4+1=5).

Girl names (5 via 41)Boy names (5 via 41)
Amelia, Abigail, Isla, Amaya, Evie, Adelaide, Dream, Saige, Mira, Anya, Indie, Naya, Jayda, Elina, Lisa, Aura, Elani, Laine, Mari, Reem, Irie, Eiza, Madden, Ailen, Yana, Lanie, Maelee, Khali, Zaida, Rahma, Irma, Joana, Lacy, Maleia, Dalani, LeighAmir, King, Nico, Elian, Alijah, Clay, Madden, Duke, Ayan, Kye, Elio, Jadiel, Kabir, Kanan, Kalel, Jabari, Slade, Rami, Arham, Dov, Zack, Makoa, Draco, Haiden, Khaled, Joao, Lex, Dream, Isaak, Jamel, Saige, Banx, Pax, Laine, Geno, Eider, Kasai, Sakai, Omega, Anay, Rick, Gauge, Kofi, Abdallah

5 via 50

The letters in the following baby names add up to 50, which reduces to five (5+0=5).

Girl names (5 via 50)Boy names (5 via 50)
Sofia, Adeline, Lyla, June, Elsie, Elise, Kayla, Haven, Mariah, Fatima, Malani, Lexi, Salem, Joy, Amirah, Eileen, Ezra, Elodie, Milana, Annika, Drew, Baylee, Amiri, Kallie, Rebekah, Inaya, Libby, Rubi, Aniya, Alisha, Kaycee, Emeri, Lucie, Adilene, Anayah, Avaya, Clarke, Kianna, Ally, Delanie, Ever, Aavya, Jireh, Misha, Janet, Iyana, Emrie, Malina, Sabine, America, Azalia, Merida, Jalaya, Myka, Raeya, Darby, Selma, Zoha, Eliani, Mahira, Auria, IlariaEzra, Colt, Paul, Brady, Marco, Frank, Amiri, Drew, Kasen, Zain, Anakin, Donald, Salem, Jakari, Landen, Jedidiah, Calum, Veer, Jireh, Laith, Izan, Keenan, Ever, Raheem, Demari, Derick, Haven, Ivar, Ravi, Mikel, Kent, Olin, Baron, Lars, Makaio, Ahmari, Kru, Arlen, Zian, Hiro, Davin, Eldon, Natan, Jhacari, June, Lino, Zaden, Roel, Darsh, Edrick, Kaycee, Deven, Iroh, Nilan, Imari, Kaimana, Lejend, Lion, Mycah

5 via 59

The letters in the following baby names add up to 59, which reduces to five (5+9=14; 1+4=5).

Girl names (5 via 59)Boy names (5 via 59)
Melanie, Kaylee, Brianna, Kendall, Briella, Makenna, Mylah, Renata, Bonnie, Janelle, Lillie, Rayna, Carly, Joelle, Laylah, Luz, Tru, Viola, Giulia, Kamora, Mariela, Ayesha, Kamilla, Laramie, Noella, Jayden, Milania, Kalayah, Leticia, Marlo, Mileena, Bryn, Darlene, Tianna, Akshara, Aminata, Caliyah, Joanne, Renlee, Tayla, Nihira, Haislee, Astra, Miliana, Junie, Zaniah, Anaiyah, MabryJayden, Jason, Ismael, Bowen, Zaiden, Zaire, Jonas, Mohamed, Rayan, Tru, Idris, Bjorn, Misael, Aryan, Kellen, Mccoy, Kaisen, Jaxx, Kendall, Zabdiel, Jahmir, Sekani, Kaycen, Brent, Ripp, Hansel, Fynn, Leander, Ragnar, Izhaan, Kyden, Marlo, Ramir, Paolo, Brandt, Tiger, Baylen, Niles, Oziah, Gareth, Qasim, Rook, Herman, Mazen, Blayne, Dontae, Mikko

5 via 68

The letters in the following baby names add up to 68, which reduces to five (6+8=14; 1+4=5).

Girl names (5 via 68)Boy names (5 via 68)
Olivia, Sophia, Valeria, Blakely, Morgan, Juliana, Cataleya, Izabella, Madeleine, Oakleigh, Ellianna, Skyla, Kamiyah, Denver, Teresa, Kaydence, Janiyah, Mattie, Nairobi, Harleigh, Braylee, Evelina, Marlene, Jenny, Stacy, Nelly, Kaelyn, Alaysia, Audrina, Dolly, Nour, Zamira, Samiya, Kyrie, Lavinia, Amour, Kaylen, Caitlin, Siobhan, Shayna, Makiyah, Gracyn, Imogene, Alyanna, Taylee, Keiry, Dhriti, Lyrica, Gladys, Kamdyn, Amity, Layken, SitaraBenjamin, Carlos, Brandon, Kyrie, Zander, Cruz, Eduardo, Ricardo, Killian, Denver, Lewis, Morgan, Mohammad, Gerardo, Trey, Tomas, Derrick, Wayne, Rudy, Jericho, Brennan, Gianluca, Kamdyn, Nazir, Eleazar, Zamari, Barron, Finneas, Mauro, Levon, Natanael, Aarush, Karsen, Gionni, Yasin, Bryer, Lloyd, Mordecai, Ervin, Usman, Ayansh, Valor, Shalom, Colsen, Hoyt, Shayan, Lemuel, Fischer, Yerik, Ziaire, Avett, Yanis, Mamadou, Riyaan, Zekiel, Arius, Zayaan, Jyaire, Kaydence, Kaylen, Helios, Bowman, Cassiel, Nicolo, Taron, Bradford

5 via 77

The letters in the following baby names add up to 77, which reduces to five (7+7=14; 1+4=5).

Girl names (5 via 77)Boy names (5 via 77)
Caroline, Vivian, Samantha, Molly, Harlow, Alyssa, Juliet, Kelsey, Coraline, Louisa, Braelyn, Patricia, Kyleigh, Ellery, Saniyah, Keilany, Georgiana, Ashton, Keylani, Glory, Skylee, Sunni, Lluvia, Mirabelle, Linley, Taelyn, Nayomi, Yeimy, Hazley, Tasneem, Lilibeth, Evette, Hayzel, Berkleigh, Ysabella, JaylanieJameson, Ashton, Ryker, Kenneth, Fernando, Kameron, Braylen, Scott, Marvin, Fletcher, Cayson, Merrick, Trent, Tzvi, Kolten, Harlow, Jenson, Giovani, Bernardo, Taylen, Jaylon, Mavrick, Corbyn, Domingo, Konner, Virgil, Brantlee, Kyrin, Syaire, Braelyn, Sheldon, Jayven, Kerry, Dewayne, Kylon, Kelton, Zavien, Marty

5 via 86

The letters in the following baby names add up to 86, which reduces to five (8+6=14; 1+4=5).

Girl names (5 via 86)Boy names (5 via 86)
Skylar, Jordyn, Mckenzie, Theodora, Hunter, Saoirse, Paisleigh, Ellison, Elouise, Alyson, Bryleigh, Yasmine, Hollyn, Izzy, Yarely, Julianne, Haizley, Kailynn, Prudence, Maryann, Lillyana, Dawsyn, Esmeray, DorotheaSantiago, Hunter, Arthur, Cyrus, Johnny, Rodrigo, Tommy, Kolson, Terry, Skylar, Jordyn, Westen, Ellison, Keylor, Estevan, Maynor, Patton, Jamarcus, Percival, Zachery, Zyler, Maxson, Sabastian, Johannes, Ronny, Alastor

5 via 95

The letters in the following baby names add up to 95, which reduces to five (9+5=14; 1+4=5).

Girl names (5 via 95)Boy names (5 via 95)
Kinsley, Peyton, Kimberly, Bristol, Promise, Rowyn, Joslyn, Empress, Estefany, Brynnlee, Yvonne, Blossom, Rosario, Everett, Souline, Annalynn, Brixley, RaylynEverett, Gregory, Peyton, Huxley, Wesson, Viktor, Hussein, Summit, Abdulrahman, Rowyn, Yousif, Sirius, Brayton, Johnson, Whitaker

5 via 104

The letters in the following baby names add up to 104, which reduces to five (1+0+4=5).

Girl names (5 via 104)Boy names (5 via 104)
Yaretzi, Tinsley, Rosalyn, Whitney, Sterling, Violetta, Emmylou, JesslynSterling, Truett, Marcellus, Quintin, Braxtyn, Michelangelo

5 via 113

The letters in the following baby names add up to 113, which reduces to five (1+1+3=5).

Girl names (5 via 113)Boy names (5 via 113)
Primrose, Brittney, Tziporah, Constanza, SumayyahSalvatore, Woodrow, Cristofer, Alexandros, Bryston

5 via 122

The letters in the following baby names add up to 122, which reduces to five (1+2+2=5).

Girl names (5 via 122)Boy names (5 via 122)
Roselynn, Scotlynn, Krislynn, Rosslyn, ZerenityRighteous, Stetsyn, Dimitrius, Chukwuemeka, Houstyn

5 via 131

The letters in the following baby names add up to 131, which reduces to five (1+3+1=5).

Girl names (5 via 131)Boy names (5 via 131)
Brookelynn, Monserrath, Brooklynne, Temiloluwa, ImisioluwaCristopher, Wellington, Roosevelt, Maximillion, Hutchinson

Number 5: Significance and associations

What does the number five mean in numerology?

There’s no definitive answer, unfortunately, because various numerological systems exist, and each one has its own interpretation of the number five. That said, if we look at a couple of modern numerology/astrology websites, we see 5 being described as “freedom-loving,” “dynamic,” “adaptable,” “curious,” and “unpredictable.”

We can also look at associations, which are a bit more concrete. Here are some things that are associated with the number 5:

  • Fingers
    • High-five (hand gesture)
  • Toes
  • Senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing)
  • Tastes (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami)
  • Starfish (most starfish have 5 arms)
  • Basketball (5 players per side)
  • Olympic Games (symbolized by 5 interlocked rings)
  • Greek classical elements (water, earth, air, fire, aether)
    • Quintessence (refers to the fifth element, aether, which was a late addition to the list)
  • Chinese traditional elements (water, fire, earth, wood, metal)

What does the number 5 mean to you? What are your strongest associations with the number?

P.S. To see names with other numerological values, check out the posts for the numbers one, two, three, four, six, seven, eight, and nine.

Sources: SSA, Numerology – Cafe Astrology, The meaning of the numbers 1 – 9 – World Numerology, 5 – Wikipedia

[Latest update: Jan. 2024]