girls' name ★ peaked 1995

Selina

Meaning heavenly Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,278 Trend → Stable

First recorded in England in the 17th century, possibly from Latin Caelīna (“heavenly”), or a variant of Selene, the Ancient Greek goddess of the moon.

Rank 2025
#1,278
among girls · ↑35 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
176
named Selina
How common
1 in 9,132
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1995
704 babies
All-time total
19,225
#1,098 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Selina popularity over time

19,225 babies have been named Selina since 1880, 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
0.130.250.380.518801900192019401960198020002020Peak 1995Girls

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 110 11 – #534
1890s 185 19 +68% #546
1900s 173 17 -6% #702
1910s 281 28 +62% #998
1920s 282 28 0% #1,300
1930s 161 16 -43% #1,654
1940s 191 19 +19% #1,616
1950s 644 64 +237% #841
1960s 2,148 215 +234% #576
1970s 2,272 227 +6% #480
1980s 2,659 266 +17% #618
1990s 4,175 418 +57% #372
2000s 2,692 269 -36% #814
2010s 2,235 224 -17% #1,043
2020s (to 2025) 1,017 170 -24% #1,278

Where Selina 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 173 0.11 outside top 500
2027 170 0.11 outside top 500
2028 167 0.10 outside top 500
2029 166 0.10 outside top 500
2030 164 0.10 outside top 500

Where Selina is most popular

Girls named Selina per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.106 per 1,000. Strongest in Washington, California, and New Jersey.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Selina 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 Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Washington 39 0.270 +155%
California 166 0.197 +87%
New Jersey 35 0.194 +83%
New York 73 0.184 +74%
Pennsylvania 41 0.173 +64%
Florida 61 0.143 +35%
Illinois 27 0.118 +11%
Massachusetts 13 0.108 ≈ national
Texas 73 0.091 -14%
North Carolina 19 0.083 -21%
Oregon 5 0.077 -27%
Georgia 13 0.057 -46%
Virginia 8 0.047 -56%
Minnesota 5 0.046 -56%
Ohio 10 0.042 -60%
Arizona 5 0.036 -66%
Indiana 5 0.036 -66%
Michigan 5 0.027 -74%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Selina

Selina is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,278 in 2025 with 176 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 19,225 American babies have been named Selina. Its peak came in 1995, when 704 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

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

How old are people named Selina?

The median living Selina is about 32 years old; half are between 20 and 47. An estimated 17 thousand people named Selina are alive in the United States today.

median 32 020406080100

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

Selina year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 176 #1,278
2024 176 #1,313
2023 168 #1,347
2022 163 #1,403
2021 176 #1,292
2020 158 #1,385
2019 205 #1,166
2018 229 #1,095
2017 214 #1,157
2016 218 #1,156
2015 222 #1,142
2014 249 #1,048
2013 213 #1,133
2012 242 #1,043
2011 224 #1,103
2010 219 #1,125
2009 253 #1,030
2008 277 #969
2007 291 #930
2006 295 #901
2005 295 #859
2004 240 #989
2003 238 #975
2002 262 #874
2001 262 #878
2000 279 #814
1995 704 #372
1990 270 #764
1985 264 #682
1980 233 #720
1975 154 #870
1970 150 #888
1965 244 #626
1960 167 #799
1955 53 #1,379
1950 27 #1,864
1945 27 #1,616
1940 12 #2,557
1935 18 #1,903
1930 24 #1,654
1925 28 #1,600
1920 32 #1,434
1915 27 #1,396
1910 19 #1,025
1905 19 #866
1900 27 #702
1895 26 #604
1890 24 #546
1885 11 #693
1880 10 #574

Famous people named Selina

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

  1. 1 Selina Jen Selina Jen Musical artist b. 1981 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Selina Gasparin Selina Gasparin Swiss biathlete (born 1984) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Selina?

The median living Selina is about 32 years old. Half of all living Selinas are between 20 and 47 years old.

How many people named Selina are alive today?

An estimated 17 thousand people named Selina are alive in the United States, based on 19,225 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Selina mean?

First recorded in England in the 17th century, possibly from Latin Caelīna (“heavenly”), or a variant of Selene, the Ancient Greek goddess of the moon.

How popular is the name Selina in 2025?

Selina ranked #1,278 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 176 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Selina?

19,225 babies have been named Selina in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Selina most popular?

Selina peaked in 1995, when 704 newborns received the name.

Is Selina a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Selina rising or falling?

Selina is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Selina become more popular?

Selina is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 164 girls named Selina 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 Selina?

Well-known people named Selina include Selina Jen (actor), Selina Gasparin (athlete).

Names like Selina

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

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