Selma

See also: selma, šelma, and šeļma

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Selma

Wikipedia

Etymology

Taken to use in the 19th century when similar-sounding names, Elma, Thelma, Alma, Wilma, etc. were in vogue. Perhaps a shortening of Anselma, or from the name of a place in the James Macpherson's Ossian cycle of epic poems, itself from Scottish Gaelic sealladh + math (“good vision”). In some cases perhaps borrowed from Turkish Selma, from Arabic سَلْمَى (salmā).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɛlmə/
• Rhymes: -ɛlmə

Proper noun

Selma (countable and uncountable, plural Selmas)

1. (countable) A female given name.
2. (countable) A surname.
3. A placename
   1. A community in Nova Scotia, Canada.
   2. A village in Graubünden canton, Switzerland.
   3. A place in the United States.
      1. A city, the county seat of Dallas County, Alabama; named for James Macpherson's Ossianic poem The Songs of Selma.
         • 2015 March 5, Douglas Brinkley, “Selma’s historic bridge deserves a better name”, in CNN‎:

           So when King – who had been in Atlanta for “Bloody Sunday” – telegrammed Parks about returning to Alabama to take part in a third mass march from Selma to Montgomery, her immediate answer was “Why, of course.”

      2. A city in Fresno County, California; named for early resident Selma Michelson.
      3. A city in Texas.
      4. A town in North Carolina; named for the city in Alabama.
      5. A town in Indiana.
      6. A census-designated place in Josephine County, Oregon.
      7. A census-designated place in Virginia.
      8. An unincorporated community in Arkansas.
      9. An unincorporated community in Iowa.
      10. An unincorporated community in Kansas.
      11. An unincorporated community in Missouri; named for the place in the Ossian cycle.
      12. An unincorporated community in Ohio.

Translations

female given name

Arabic: سَلْمَى f (salmā) Chinese: Mandarin: 塞爾瑪 / 塞尔玛 (Sài'ěrmǎ) Danish: Selma Faroese: Selma f Finnish: Selma (fi) Icelandic: Selma (is) f Norwegian: Selma (no) Persian: سلما (salmâ) Portuguese: Selma f Russian: Сельма (ru) f (Selʹma), Сальма f (Salʹma) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: Селма f Roman: Selma (sh) f Spanish: Salma f Swedish: Selma (sv) Turkish: Selma (tr) f

village in Switzerland

Lombard: Selme

Noun

Selma (plural Selmas)

1. (US, politics, figuratively) A confrontation where authorities brutally repress those wanting civil rights, similar to Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama.
   • 2020, Dane Smith, Star Tribune (Minneapolis), "Toward a better patriotism", 3 July 2020

     Eventually, our place and response may be viewed as a historic turning point, another Selma for the nation and world.

   • 2015, Minnie Bruce Pratt, Workers World, "Black and Brown unity in Alabama", 24 June 2015

     Shelby County has become the new Selma.

   • 1986, Daily Sitka Sentinel, Sitka Weekend, p.11, Friday 17 January 1986

     "I don't know how many Selmas you have in your memory," she said. "I have a lot in mine."

   • 1965, The Fresno Bee, p.60, Wednesday 21 July 1965:

     How Many Selmas? Still another city in the south Is learning the hard way ​that the Negro will settle for nothing less than first class citizenship.

Coordinate terms

• Bloody Sunday

Anagrams

• Smeal, Salem, semla, mesal, Lemas, almes, males, EMALS, MELAS, lamés, lames, amels, Melas, Males, melas, meals, Smale, leams

Cebuano

Etymology

Possibly from Arabic سَلْمَى (salmā).

Proper noun

Selma

1. a surname

Danish

Proper noun

Selma

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Selma

Estonian

Proper noun

Selma

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Selma

Faroese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɛlma/
• Rhymes: -ɛlma

Proper noun

Selma f

1. a female given name

Usage notes

Matronymics

• son of Selma: Selmuson
• daughter of Selma: Selmudóttir

Declension

	singular
	indefinite
nominative	Selma
accusative	Selmu
dative	Selmu
genitive	Selmu

Finnish

Etymology

From English Selma.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈselmɑ/, [ˈs̠e̞lmɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -elmɑ
• Syllabification^(key): Sel‧ma
• Hyphenation^(key): Sel‧ma

Proper noun

Selma

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Selma

Declension

Inflection of Selma (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)
nominative		Selma	Selmat
genitive		Selman	Selmojen
partitive		Selmaa	Selmoja
illative		Selmaan	Selmoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		Selma	Selmat
accusative	nom.	Selma	Selmat
	gen.	Selman
genitive		Selman	Selmojen Selmain rare
partitive		Selmaa	Selmoja
inessive		Selmassa	Selmoissa
elative		Selmasta	Selmoista
illative		Selmaan	Selmoihin
adessive		Selmalla	Selmoilla
ablative		Selmalta	Selmoilta
allative		Selmalle	Selmoille
essive		Selmana	Selmoina
translative		Selmaksi	Selmoiksi
abessive		Selmatta	Selmoitta
instructive		—	Selmoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of Selma (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative Selmani Selmani accusative nom. Selmani Selmani gen. Selmani genitive Selmani Selmojeni Selmaini rare partitive Selmaani Selmojani inessive Selmassani Selmoissani elative Selmastani Selmoistani illative Selmaani Selmoihini adessive Selmallani Selmoillani ablative Selmaltani Selmoiltani allative Selmalleni Selmoilleni essive Selmanani Selmoinani translative Selmakseni Selmoikseni abessive Selmattani Selmoittani instructive — — comitative — Selmoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative Selmasi Selmasi accusative nom. Selmasi Selmasi gen. Selmasi genitive Selmasi Selmojesi Selmaisi rare partitive Selmaasi Selmojasi inessive Selmassasi Selmoissasi elative Selmastasi Selmoistasi illative Selmaasi Selmoihisi adessive Selmallasi Selmoillasi ablative Selmaltasi Selmoiltasi allative Selmallesi Selmoillesi essive Selmanasi Selmoinasi translative Selmaksesi Selmoiksesi abessive Selmattasi Selmoittasi instructive — — comitative — Selmoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative Selmamme Selmamme accusative nom. Selmamme Selmamme gen. Selmamme genitive Selmamme Selmojemme Selmaimme rare partitive Selmaamme Selmojamme inessive Selmassamme Selmoissamme elative Selmastamme Selmoistamme illative Selmaamme Selmoihimme adessive Selmallamme Selmoillamme ablative Selmaltamme Selmoiltamme allative Selmallemme Selmoillemme essive Selmanamme Selmoinamme translative Selmaksemme Selmoiksemme abessive Selmattamme Selmoittamme instructive — — comitative — Selmoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative Selmanne Selmanne accusative nom. Selmanne Selmanne gen. Selmanne genitive Selmanne Selmojenne Selmainne rare partitive Selmaanne Selmojanne inessive Selmassanne Selmoissanne elative Selmastanne Selmoistanne illative Selmaanne Selmoihinne adessive Selmallanne Selmoillanne ablative Selmaltanne Selmoiltanne allative Selmallenne Selmoillenne essive Selmananne Selmoinanne translative Selmaksenne Selmoiksenne abessive Selmattanne Selmoittanne instructive — — comitative — Selmoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative Selmansa Selmansa accusative nom. Selmansa Selmansa gen. Selmansa genitive Selmansa Selmojensa Selmainsa rare partitive Selmaansa Selmojaan Selmojansa inessive Selmassaan Selmassansa Selmoissaan Selmoissansa elative Selmastaan Selmastansa Selmoistaan Selmoistansa illative Selmaansa Selmoihinsa adessive Selmallaan Selmallansa Selmoillaan Selmoillansa ablative Selmaltaan Selmaltansa Selmoiltaan Selmoiltansa allative Selmalleen Selmallensa Selmoilleen Selmoillensa essive Selmanaan Selmanansa Selmoinaan Selmoinansa translative Selmakseen Selmaksensa Selmoikseen Selmoiksensa abessive Selmattaan Selmattansa Selmoittaan Selmoittansa instructive — — comitative — Selmoineen Selmoinensa

Statistics

• Selma is the 231^st most common female given name in Finland, belonging to 2,434 female individuals (and as a middle name to 657 more), according to August 2025 data from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency of Finland.

Anagrams

• Salme

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɛlma/
• Rhymes: -ɛlma

Proper noun

Selma f (proper noun, genitive singular Selmu)

1. a female given name

Declension

Declension of Selma (sg-only feminine)

indefinite singular
nominative	Selma
accusative	Selmu
dative	Selmu
genitive	Selmu

Norwegian

Proper noun

Selma

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Selma

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛw.mɐ/ [ˈsɛʊ̯.mɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛw.mɐ/ [ˈsɛʊ̯.mɐ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛw.ma/ [ˈsɛʊ̯.ma]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈsɛl.mɐ/ [ˈsɛɫ.mɐ]

Proper noun

Selma f

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Selma

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Ottoman Turkish سلمى (selma) (Turkish Selma), from Arabic سَلْمَى (salmā).

Proper noun

Selma f (Cyrillic spelling Селма)

1. a female given name

Declension

    Declension of Selma

	singular	plural
nominative	Selma	Selme
genitive	Selme	Selma
dative	Selmi	Selmama
accusative	Selmu	Selme
vocative	Selmo	Selme
locative	Selmi	Selmama
instrumental	Selmom	Selmama

Further reading

• “Selma”, in Portal suvremenih hrvatskih osobnih imena [Portal of contemporary Croatian personal names] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2018–2025

Swedish

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Selma c (genitive Selmas)

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Selma

Anagrams

• males, samle, semla, smale

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from English, from various similar-sounding female given names.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈselma/ [ˈsɛl.mɐ]
• Rhymes: -elma
• Syllabification: Sel‧ma

Proper noun

Selma (Baybayin spelling ᜐᜒᜎ᜔ᜋ)

1. a female given name from English

Anagrams

• masel

Turkish

Etymology

From Arabic سَلْمَى (salmā).

Proper noun

Selma

1. a female given name from Arabic