Selah
Girl name · #216 in 2025 · Well-known
How old is the name Selah? In official American birth records, Selah has been tracked continuously since 1962, giving it 63 years of documented American history.
In 2025, 1,416 baby girls were named Selah, placing it at #216 in the official national rankings. A decade ago it stood at #461, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 1,271 girls born in 2025 was named Selah.
Babies named Selah per year. Source: Official national birth records.
The 63-year story
Selah first appears in the Social Security records in 1962, when 6 girls received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2025, with 1,416 babies and a rank of #216. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Selah against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Selah in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Selah is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "well-known". A low score means broad familiarity: teachers will spell it right, and your child may share it with a classmate. For many families that's a feature, not a bug.
Where Selah is most common
Geography matters for names, and Selah is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Selah is most common in MT (3.5 per 1,000), ID (1.8 per 1,000), IN (1.8 per 1,000), NE (1.7 per 1,000), SC (1.6 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 1.1 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Selah is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Selah
Statistically, parents drawn to Selah tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Lilah, Lylah, Nylah, Mylah, and Shiloh.
LilahLylahNylahMylahShilohNorahSaylorSariyah
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Selah | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,416 | #216 |
| 2024 | 1,134 | #279 |
| 2023 | 1,027 | #301 |
| 2022 | 885 | #357 |
| 2021 | 828 | #376 |
| 2020 | 722 | #425 |
| 2019 | 701 | #443 |
| 2018 | 732 | #432 |
| 2017 | 695 | #455 |
| 2016 | 688 | #462 |
| 2015 | 690 | #461 |
| 2014 | 577 | #539 |
| 2013 | 552 | #538 |
| 2012 | 575 | #527 |
| 2011 | 506 | #575 |
| 2010 | 460 | #642 |
| 2009 | 419 | #694 |
| 2008 | 380 | #772 |
| 2007 | 344 | #833 |
| 2006 | 324 | #832 |
| 2005 | 263 | #940 |
| 2004 | 179 | #1229 |
| 2003 | 179 | #1195 |
| 2002 | 154 | #1275 |
| 2001 | 124 | #1506 |
Frequently asked questions
How old is the name Selah?
In official American birth records, the name Selah first appeared in 1962 (over 63 years ago), when 6 newborn girls received the name. It has been tracked in modern national records for 63 years.
Is Selah a popular girl name?
Selah ranked #216 among girls in 2025 with 1,416 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #461.
When was the name Selah most popular?
Selah peaked in 2025, when 1,416 American girls received the name (ranked #216 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Selah?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 1,271 newborn American girls was named Selah. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "well-known".
Data source: Official American birth records, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect registered birth records for American families.