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, classical scholar, and professor at Pembroke College, Cambridge. He is widely known for his ''Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard,'' published in 1751. Gr ...

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

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a 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. E.Watson; Walte ...

name ''

Selim Salim, Saleem or Selim may refer to: People *Salim (name), or Saleem or Salem or Selim, a name of Arabic origin *Salim (poet) (1800–1866) *Saleem (playwright) (fl. 1996) *Selim I, Selim II and Selim III, Ottoman Sultans * Selim people, an eth ...

'' 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 name may also have Celtic origins, in which case it means "beautiful view". The use of ''Selma'' in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

and

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

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 ...

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 is likely due to the Selma poems of Frans Michael Franzén (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 = Kingdom of Denmark , establishe ...

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 Nobel Prize in Literature, which she was ...

(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 (born 1980), Bosnian singer * Selma Björnsdóttir (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 Selma Botman (born 1950) is an American academic. Her post at the University of Maine System (UMS) Chancellor's Office focused on expanding the systems international education programs, recruiting foreign students, and coordinating overseas facu ...

(born 1950), American academic *

Selma Chalabi Selma Chalabi is a British radio producer and journalist for BBC Wales. She was born in the United Kingdom to an Iraqi father and English mother, and was raised in Winchester. Career She has produced numerous short films about her father's hom ...

, British filmmaker *

Selma Cronan Selma Kantor Cronan (May 6, 1913 – August 5, 2002) was an American aviator. She was part of the Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) during World War II, and after the war, she continued to fly. She was especially known for competing in air r ...

(1913–2002), American aviator * Selma Diamond (1917–2008), American actress *

Selma Dritz Selma Kaderman Dritz (June 29, 1917 – September 3, 2008) was an American physician and epidemiologist who worked in San Francisco, California, where she began tracking the first known cases of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in the ...

(1920–1985), American physician and epidemiologist * Selma Ergeç (born 1978), Turkish-German actress and model * Selma Ek (1856–1941), Swedish opera singer *

Selma Freud Selma Freud (b., 21 August 1877, Vienna, d. after 1933, probably in Israel) was an Austrian physicist and the founder of the first official Salvation Army corps in Vienna. She received her doctorate in physics from the University of Vienna in 1906 a ...

(1877–?), Austrian physicist *

Selma Giöbel Selma Giöbel (1843–1925) was a Swedish artist. She was active as a textile designer (particularly for carpets and wall paper), sculptor and engraver, and regarded as one of the most notable Swedish textile designers of the late 19th-century. ...

(1843–1925), Swedish artist *

Selma Gräfin von der Gröben Selma Gräfin von der Gröben (1856–1938), was a German feminist and philanthropist.Schröder, Hiltrud (Hrsg.)(1990): Sophie & Co. Bedeutende Frauen Hannovers, Hannover She is known for her work for women's rights within the religious circles, ...

(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 th ...

(born 1966), Mexican and American actress and producer * Selma Jacobsson (1841–1899), Swedish photographer * Selma James (born 1930), American writer, feminist and social activist * Selma Aliye Kavaf (born 1962), Turkish politician * Selma Kurz (1874–1933), Austrian/German operatic soprano *

(1858–1940), Swedish author *

Selma Meerbaum-Eisinger Selma Meerbaum-Eisinger (February 5, 1924 – December 16, 1942) was a Romanian-born German-language poet. A Jew, she was murdered in the Holocaust at the age of 18 in a labor camp in Ukraine. Meerbaum-Eisinger of her father, the shopkeeper M ...

(1924–1942), Romanian-born German-language poet *Selma Mayer (1884–1984), Israeli nurse known as

Schwester Selma Selma Mayer (3 February 1884 – 5 February 1984) known as Schwester Selma (German: Sister Selma or Nurse Selma) was an Israeli nurse who was the head nurse at the original Shaare Zedek Hospital on Jaffa Road in Jerusalem for nearly 50 years. F ...

* Selma Meyer (1890–1941), Dutch-Jewish women's rights activist *

Selma Yağcı Selma Yağcı (born February 1, 1981) is a Turkish female boxer competing in the cruiserweight division. She is a member of the Municipality club in Denizli, Turkey. She won a bronze medal in the light heavyweight (90 kg) division at the ...

(born 1981), Turkish boxer

Surname

Bartolomé de Selma y Salaverde Fray Bartolomé de Selma y Salaverde (c. 1595, in Cuenca – after 1638) was a Spanish Baroque composer and virtuoso player of the dulcian, a predecessor to the modern bassoon. He was an Augustinian friar who was employed at the archducal court a ...

(c. 1595 – after 1638), Spanish composer and dulcian player * Dick Selma (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 ...

player *

Mai Selma 'Abd ul Jalil (sometimes called Selma in older sources) was the last king in the Duguwa dynasty of the Kanem Empire. His short rule lasted from approximately 1081 until 1085, when he was overthrown by Muslim followers of Hummay, the first Muslim k ...

(11th century), last Duguwa

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 ...

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, ''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