# Selma
## English
### Etymology

Taken to use in the 19th century when similar-sounding names, Elma, Thelma, Alma, Wilma, etc. were in vogue. Perhaps a shortening of Anselma, or from the name of a place in the James Macpherson's Ossian cycle of epic poems, itself from Scottish Gaelic sealladh + math (“good vision”). In some cases perhaps borrowed from Turkish Selma, from Arabic سَلْمَى (salmā).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈsɛlmə/

### Proper noun

Selma (countable and uncountable, plural Selmas)
* (countable) A female given name.
* (countable) A surname.
* A placename
** A community of Nova Scotia, Canada.
** A village in Graubünden canton, Switzerland.
** A place in the United States.
*** A city, the county seat of Dallas County, Alabama; named for James Macpherson's Ossianic poem The Songs of Selma.
*** A city in Fresno County, California; named for early resident Selma Michelson.
*** A city in Texas.
*** A town in North Carolina; named for the city in Alabama.
*** A town in Indiana.
*** A census-designated place in Josephine County, Oregon.
*** A census-designated place in Virginia.
*** An unincorporated community in Arkansas.
*** An unincorporated community in Iowa.
*** An unincorporated community in Kansas.
*** An unincorporated community in Missouri; named for the place in the Ossian cycle.
*** An unincorporated community in Ohio.

#### Translations
### Noun

Selma (plural Selmas)
* (US, politics, figuratively) A confrontation where authorities brutally repress those wanting civil rights, similar to Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama.
** 2020, Dane Smith, Star Tribune (Minneapolis), "Toward a better patriotism", 3 July 2020
    Eventually, our place and response may be viewed as a historic turning point, another Selma for the nation and world.
** 2015, Minnie Bruce Pratt, Workers World, "Black and Brown unity in Alabama", 24 June 2015
    Shelby County has become the new Selma.
** 1986, Daily Sitka Sentinel, Sitka Weekend, p.11, Friday 17 January 1986
    "I don't know how many Selmas you have in your memory," she said. "I have a lot in mine."
** 1965, The Fresno Bee, p.60, Wednesday 21 July 1965:How Many Selmas? Still another city in the south Is learning the hard way ​that the Negro will settle for nothing less than first class citizenship.

#### Coordinate terms

* Bloody Sunday

### Anagrams

* Smeal, Salem, semla, mesal, Lemas, almes, males, EMALS, MELAS, lamés, lames, amels, Melas, Males, melas, meals, Smale, leams

## Cebuano
### Etymology

Possibly from Arabic سَلْمَى (salmā).

### Proper noun

Selma
* a surname

## Danish
### Proper noun

Selma
* a female given name, equivalent to English Selma

## Estonian
### Proper noun

Selma
* a female given name, equivalent to English Selma

## Faroese
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈsɛlma/
* Rhymes: -ɛlma

### Proper noun

Selma f
* a female given name

#### Usage notes

Matronymics
* son of Selma: Selmuson
* daughter of Selma: Selmudóttir

#### Declension
## Finnish
### Etymology

From English Selma.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈselmɑ/, [ˈs̠e̞lmɑ̝]
* Rhymes: -elmɑ
* Hyphenation: Sel‧ma

### Proper noun

Selma
* a female given name, equivalent to English Selma

#### Declension

Possessive forms of Selma (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation) :
first-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
Selmani
Selmani
accusative
nom.
Selmani
Selmani
gen.
Selmani
genitive
Selmani
Selmojeni Selmaini $^{rare}$
partitive
Selmaani
Selmojani
inessive
Selmassani
Selmoissani
elative
Selmastani
Selmoistani
illative
Selmaani
Selmoihini
adessive
Selmallani
Selmoillani
ablative
Selmaltani
Selmoiltani
allative
Selmalleni
Selmoilleni
essive
Selmanani
Selmoinani
translative
Selmakseni
Selmoikseni
abessive
Selmattani
Selmoittani
instructive
comitative
—Selmoineni
second-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
Selmasi
Selmasi
accusative
nom.
Selmasi
Selmasi
gen.
Selmasi
genitive
Selmasi
Selmojesi Selmaisi $^{rare}$
partitive
Selmaasi
Selmojasi
inessive
Selmassasi
Selmoissasi
elative
Selmastasi
Selmoistasi
illative
Selmaasi
Selmoihisi
adessive
Selmallasi
Selmoillasi
ablative
Selmaltasi
Selmoiltasi
allative
Selmallesi
Selmoillesi
essive
Selmanasi
Selmoinasi
translative
Selmaksesi
Selmoiksesi
abessive
Selmattasi
Selmoittasi
instructive
comitative
—Selmoinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
Selmamme
Selmamme
accusative
nom.
Selmamme
Selmamme
gen.
Selmamme
genitive
Selmamme
Selmojemme Selmaimme $^{rare}$
partitive
Selmaamme
Selmojamme
inessive
Selmassamme
Selmoissamme
elative
Selmastamme
Selmoistamme
illative
Selmaamme
Selmoihimme
adessive
Selmallamme
Selmoillamme
ablative
Selmaltamme
Selmoiltamme
allative
Selmallemme
Selmoillemme
essive
Selmanamme
Selmoinamme
translative
Selmaksemme
Selmoiksemme
abessive
Selmattamme
Selmoittamme
instructive
comitative
—Selmoinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
Selmanne
Selmanne
accusative
nom.
Selmanne
Selmanne
gen.
Selmanne
genitive
Selmanne
Selmojenne Selmainne $^{rare}$
partitive
Selmaanne
Selmojanne
inessive
Selmassanne
Selmoissanne
elative
Selmastanne
Selmoistanne
illative
Selmaanne
Selmoihinne
adessive
Selmallanne
Selmoillanne
ablative
Selmaltanne
Selmoiltanne
allative
Selmallenne
Selmoillenne
essive
Selmananne
Selmoinanne
translative
Selmaksenne
Selmoiksenne
abessive
Selmattanne
Selmoittanne
instructive
comitative
—Selmoinenne
third-person possessor
singular
plural
nominative
Selmansa
Selmansa
accusative
nom.
Selmansa
Selmansa
gen.
Selmansa
genitive
Selmansa
Selmojensa Selmainsa $^{rare}$
partitive
Selmaansa
Selmojaan Selmojansa
inessive
Selmassaan Selmassansa
Selmoissaan Selmoissansa
elative
Selmastaan Selmastansa
Selmoistaan Selmoistansa
illative
Selmaansa
Selmoihinsa
adessive
Selmallaan Selmallansa
Selmoillaan Selmoillansa
ablative
Selmaltaan Selmaltansa
Selmoiltaan Selmoiltansa
allative
Selmalleen Selmallensa
Selmoilleen Selmoillensa
essive
Selmanaan Selmanansa
Selmoinaan Selmoinansa
translative
Selmakseen Selmaksensa
Selmoikseen Selmoiksensa
abessive
Selmattaan Selmattansa
Selmoittaan Selmoittansa
instructive
comitative
—Selmoineen Selmoinensa :

#### Statistics

* Selma is the 248th (tied with 1 other name) most common female given name in Finland, belonging to 2,147 female individuals (and as a middle name to 612 more), according to February 2023 data from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency of Finland.

### Anagrams

* Salme

## Icelandic
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈsɛlma/
* Rhymes: -ɛlma

### Proper noun

Selma f (proper noun, genitive singular Selmu)
* a female given name

#### Declension
## Norwegian
### Proper noun

Selma
* a female given name, equivalent to English Selma

## Portuguese
### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈsɛw.mɐ/ [ˈsɛʊ̯.mɐ]
* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈsɛw.mɐ/ [ˈsɛʊ̯.mɐ]
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /ˈsɛw.ma/ [ˈsɛʊ̯.ma]
* (Portugal) IPA: /ˈsɛl.mɐ/ [ˈsɛɫ.mɐ]

### Proper noun

Selma f
* a female given name, equivalent to English Selma

## Serbo-Croatian
### Etymology

From Ottoman Turkish سلمى (selma) (Turkish Selma), from Arabic سَلْمَى (salmā).

### Proper noun

Selma f (Cyrillic spelling Селма)
* a female given name

#### Declension
### Further reading

* “Selma”, in Portal suvremenih hrvatskih osobnih imena [Portal of contemporary Croatian personal names] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2018–2024

## Swedish
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Proper noun

Selma c (genitive Selmas)
* a female given name, equivalent to English Selma

### Anagrams

* males, samle, semla, smale

## Tagalog
### Etymology

Borrowed from English, from various similar-sounding female given names.

### Pronunciation

* (Standard Tagalog) IPA: /ˈselma/ [ˈsɛl.mɐ]
* Rhymes: -elma
* Syllabification: Sel‧ma

### Proper noun

Selma (Baybayin spelling ᜐᜒᜎ᜔ᜋ)
* a female given name from English

### Anagrams

* masel

## Turkish
### Etymology

From Arabic سَلْمَى (salmā).

### Proper noun

Selma
* a female given name from Arabic