Selma
Selma is a female given name: 98% of people named Selma are women, and it is recorded as female in 15 of the 15 countries covered.
- Verdict
- Female
- Male / female split
- 2% male / 98% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey
- US births since 1880
- 321 male / 26,308 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Selma
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Selma," in English, "Guten Tag Selma," in German. Selma is a female given name: about 98% of people named Selma are women. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Selma,
German
Guten Tag Selma,
French
Bonjour Selma,
Spanish
Estimado/a Selma:
Chinese
Selma您好：
Japanese
Selma様
English
Hi Selma,
German
Hi Selma,
French
Salut Selma,
Spanish
Hola Selma,
Chinese
Selma你好：
Japanese
Selmaさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | common | woman's name | 1% |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | common | woman's name | 2% |
| Turkey | common | woman's name | 2% |
| Iceland | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Montenegro | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Finland | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Switzerland | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Denmark | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| East Frisia | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Netherlands | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Austria | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Belgium | rare | woman's name | 2% |
Show all 15 countries
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Portugal | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Sweden | rare | woman's name | 2% |
United States birth data
321 male · 26,308 female · 26,629 births recorded
Since 1980: 0% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Selma a male or female name?
Selma is a female given name: 98% of people named Selma are women, and it is recorded as female in 15 of the 15 countries covered.
How do I address Selma in an email?
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Selma," in English, "Guten Tag Selma," in German. Selma is a female given name: about 98% of people named Selma are women. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Is Selma a unisex name?
Selma is not a unisex name: 2% of people named Selma are men. Selma leans strongly female overall.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Selma a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/selma (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_selma,
title = {Is Selma a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/selma},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}