Selim
How to say it: seh-LEEM · /sɛˈlim/
From Arabic 'salim' meaning 'safe, sound' - long used as Ottoman sultans' name in Turkey.
Selim was the 2,067th most popular boys’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 50 babies (Social Security Administration). The 2020s are its busiest decade so far, its births are down about 10% in ten years, and it is projected to slip to #2,322 by 2030.
Updated · SSA 2025 data, published May 2026 · Insee 2025 data, published July 2026 · How we compute these figures
Key facts
| Rank among boys’ names, 2025 | #2,067 |
|---|---|
| Babies born in 2025 | 50 |
| Share of births | 1 in 66,306 |
| Peak decade | 2020s |
| Change over 10 years | −10% |
| Projected rank for 2030 (estimate) | #2,322 |
| In France, 2025 | #328 among boys’ names, 155 births |
Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.
Its life, decade by decade
Selim is a newcomer: almost all of its history is from the last forty years.
What goes with it
In the classroom
In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Selim is about under 1 in 200.
Around the world
This spelling is used in Arabic, Dutch, English, French, German, Turkish.
In France: #328 for boys in 2025.
Famous people named Selim
- Selim I (1470–1520)9th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520
- Selim II (1524–1574)11th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire
- Selim III (1761–1808)28th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire
From Wikidata and Wikipedia
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