Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 2017

Selim

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #2,638 Trend ↓ Falling 12%
Rank 2025
#2,638
among boys · ↓378 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
50
named Selim · -22% vs 2024
How common
1 in 34,162
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2017
78 babies
All-time total
1,023
#5,063 all-time among boys
First recorded
1971
in Social Security records

Selim popularity over time

1,023 babies have been named Selim since 1971, 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 2017Boys

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 Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s – – – –
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s – – – –
1960s – – – –
1970s 12 1 – #4,964
1980s 17 2 +42% #5,521
1990s 33 3 +94% #7,003
2000s 124 12 +276% #5,002
2010s 504 50 +306% #1,880
2020s (to 2025) 333 56 +10% #2,260

Where Selim is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (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 boys Implied rank
2026 49 0.03 outside top 500
2027 48 0.03 outside top 500
2028 47 0.03 outside top 500
2029 46 0.03 outside top 500
2030 45 0.03 outside top 500

Where Selim is most popular

Boys named Selim per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.033 per 1,000. Strongest in New Jersey, New York, and Florida.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Selim born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New Jersey 24 0.119 +264%
New York 48 0.111 +238%
Florida 28 0.059 +80%
California 42 0.046 +40%
Virginia 5 0.026 -20%
Texas 17 0.019 -41%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Selim

Selim is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,638 in 2025 with 50 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1971, 1,023 American babies have been named Selim. Its peak came in 2017, when 78 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

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 Selim stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Selim?

The median living Selim is about 8 years old; half are between 4 and 12. An estimated 1,000 people named Selim are alive in the United States today.

median 8 020406080100

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

Selim year by year

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

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 50 #2,638
2024 64 #2,260
2023 54 #2,504
2022 59 #2,402
2021 56 #2,432
2020 50 #2,579
2019 74 #1,995
2018 75 #1,974
2017 78 #1,880
2016 62 #2,201
2015 56 #2,350
2014 59 #2,270
2013 30 #3,567
2012 26 #3,987
2011 26 #3,969
2010 18 #5,211
2009 15 #6,037
2008 16 #5,723
2007 9 #8,804
2006 13 #6,394
2005 13 #6,160
2004 11 #6,899
2003 16 #5,002
2002 10 #6,964
2001 9 #7,420
2000 12 #5,852
1995 – –
1990 – –
1985 5 #7,401
1980 – –
1975 – –
1970 – –
1965 – –
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Selim

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

  1. 1 Selim I Selim I Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520 1470–1520 · Medieval
  2. 2 Selim II Selim II Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1566 to 1574 1524–1574 · 16th century
  3. 3 Selim III Selim III Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1789 to 1807 1761–1808 · 18th century
  4. 4 Selim Benachour Selim Benachour Former Tunisian footballer and coach (born 1981) Contemporary
  5. 5 Selim Palmgren Selim Palmgren Finnish composer, pianist, and conductor (1878–1951) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Selim?

The median living Selim is about 8 years old. Half of all living Selims are between 4 and 12 years old.

How many people named Selim are alive today?

An estimated 1,000 people named Selim are alive in the United States, based on 1,023 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Selim in 2025?

Selim ranked #2,638 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 50 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Selim?

1,023 babies have been named Selim in the United States since 1971, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Selim most popular?

Selim peaked in 2017, when 78 newborns received the name.

Is Selim a boy or girl name?

Selim is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Selim rising or falling?

Selim is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Selim become more popular?

Selim is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 45 boys named Selim in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Selim?

Well-known people named Selim include Selim I (politician), Selim II (politician), Selim III (politician).

Names like Selim

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

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