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 (died 1771). One possibility is that Selima was influenced by the
Arabic name Selim meaning "peaceful".[1] In
Turkey, the name is a variation of the Arabic female name
Salma.
The name may also have
Celtic origins, in which case it means "beautiful view".[2]
The use of Selma in
Germany and
Scandinavia stems from the
Ossianic poetry of
James Macpherson (died 1796), where it appears as a place name.[1][2][3][4] Its specific popularity in
Sweden is likely due to the Selma poems of
Frans Michael Franzén (died 1847). It was later introduced into
Denmark by Swedish immigrants, after which it likely became more common due to the works of the author
Selma Lagerlöf (died 1940).[3] 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.[2]
Fellows-Jensen, G (2001). "Danish Place-names in Scotland and Scottish Personal Names in Denmark: A Survey of Recent Research". In Fellows-Jensen, G (ed.). Denmark and Scotland: The Cultural and Environmental Resources of Small Nations. Historisk-filosofiske Meddelelser (series vol. 82). Copenhagen:
Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab.
ISBN87-7876-229-4.
ISSN0106-0481.
Vigsø, O (2005). "168: The Language of 19th Century Translations II: Danish". In Bandle, O; Braunmüller, K; Jahr, EH; Karker, A; Naumann, H-P; Teleman, U; Elmevik, L; Widmark, G (eds.). The Nordic Languages: An International Handbook of the History of the North Germanic Languages. Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft (series vol. 22). Vol. 2. Berlin:
Walter de Gruyter. pp. 1513–1514.
ISBN3-11-017149-X.
Name list
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