Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 2000

Sela

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #4,738 Trend → Stable
Rank 2025
#4,738
among girls · ↓540 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
29
named Sela · -17% vs 2024
How common
1 in 55,423
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2000
81 babies
All-time total
1,328
#6,191 all-time among girls
First recorded
1950
in Social Security records

Sela popularity over time

1,328 babies have been named Sela since 1950, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.010.030.040.0518801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2000Girls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s – – – –
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s 17 2 – #5,290
1960s – – – –
1970s 13 1 – #8,790
1980s 17 2 +31% #7,234
1990s 188 19 +1006% #3,615
2000s 615 62 +227% #2,048
2010s 324 32 -47% #3,486
2020s (to 2025) 154 26 -21% #4,198

Where Sela is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 29 0.02 outside top 500
2027 29 0.02 outside top 500
2028 29 0.02 outside top 500
2029 29 0.02 outside top 500
2030 29 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Sela

Sela is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #4,738 in 2025 with 29 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1950, 1,328 American babies have been named Sela. Its peak came in 2000, when 81 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Sela stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Sela?

The median living Sela is about 19 years old; half are between 11 and 24. An estimated 1,300 people named Sela are alive in the United States today.

median 19 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Sela year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 29 #4,738
2024 35 #4,198
2023 26 #5,103
2022 24 #5,442
2021 21 #5,918
2020 19 #6,288
2019 27 #5,016
2018 45 #3,486
2017 27 #5,032
2016 22 #5,955
2015 29 #4,837
2014 34 #4,343
2013 29 #4,867
2012 37 #4,108
2011 43 #3,652
2010 31 #4,715
2009 50 #3,348
2008 51 #3,311
2007 63 #2,885
2006 68 #2,664
2005 64 #2,666
2004 47 #3,256
2003 64 #2,548
2002 61 #2,575
2001 66 #2,405
2000 81 #2,048
1995 29 #3,758
1990 7 #11,142
1985 – –
1980 – –
1975 – –
1970 – –
1965 – –
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 5 #5,977
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Sela

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Sela Ward Sela Ward American actress (born 1956) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Sela, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Sela?

The median living Sela is about 19 years old. Half of all living Selas are between 11 and 24 years old.

How many people named Sela are alive today?

An estimated 1,300 people named Sela are alive in the United States, based on 1,328 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Sela in 2025?

Sela ranked #4,738 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 29 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Sela?

1,328 babies have been named Sela in the United States since 1950, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Sela most popular?

Sela peaked in 2000, when 81 newborns received the name.

Is Sela a boy or girl name?

Sela is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Sela rising or falling?

Sela has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Sela become more popular?

Sela looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 29 girls named Sela in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Sela?

Well-known people named Sela include Sela Ward (actor).

Names like Sela

Names that sound and feel close to Sela: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Sela with similar names → More names starting with S →