A name. A world of connections.

Zelma

A name with a story to discover

feminineLatin script

Hear the name

Swedish

Origin: Not established
5 language contexts: English Italian Danish +2 more
Follow the evidence: 8 cited sources Source-reported

01 / Meaning & origin

About Zelma

Zelma is a feminine given name documented in English, Italian, Danish and 2 other languages. English Wiktionary records an etymology for it.

Etymology in the sources

Source-reported

First recorded as a given name of Latvians in 1875. Cognate with English Selma.

Sources for this account (6)

Wiktionary: ZelmaCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Greek Wiktionary: ZelmaCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Italian Wiktionary: ZelmaCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Polish Wiktionary: ZelmaCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Russian Wiktionary: ZelmaCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Turkish Wiktionary: ZelmaCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14

02 / Across borders

Where Zelma is used

Explore official naming statistics and documented language connections around the world.

The name atlas

Across borders

countries in our sources

Select a country to follow Zelma’s connections around the world.

5 countries with official statistics. Language records show cultural connections; they do not measure how common a name is.

Selected country

United States

Statistics + language records

United States, 2025: 16 girls (rank 6838). Documented as a given name in English.

Explore United States

4 of 16 countries

03 / By the numbers

Popularity over time

Follow the spelling through the years, one published dataset at a time.

United States

1880–2025 Spelling: Zelma

Region and dataset

Latest · 2025: 16; applications; Rank #6,838
Peak year: 1919; 488 applications

Hover to explore a year. Use arrow keys when a chart point has focus.

Source: US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)

Integer application counts retained without rounding.

Per million is unavailable: this source has no matching published total.

Show the data table

Zelma in United States, girls: applications and rank by year
Year	Applications	Rank	Status
1880	19	375	observed
1881	17	405	observed
1882	21	389	observed
1883	16	480	observed
1884	29	368	observed
1885	18	500	observed
1886	32	378	observed
1887	27	424	observed
1888	37	403	observed
1889	43	368	observed
1890	52	354	observed
1891	63	317	observed
1892	56	351	observed
1893	57	356	observed
1894	77	318	observed
1895	80	322	observed
1896	82	321	observed
1897	104	277	observed
1898	104	305	observed
1899	120	261	observed
1900	131	287	observed
1901	127	256	observed
1902	189	216	observed
1903	176	224	observed
1904	198	217	observed
1905	161	258	observed
1906	188	231	observed
1907	212	227	observed
1908	199	242	observed
1909	240	233	observed
1910	220	257	observed
1911	268	240	observed
1912	307	255	observed
1913	342	252	observed
1914	373	270	observed
1915	487	266	observed
1916	466	276	observed
1917	477	283	observed
1918	471	294	observed
1919	488	287	observed
1920	448	308	observed
1921	445	310	observed
1922	467	296	observed
1923	447	306	observed
1924	417	330	observed
1925	431	322	observed
1926	356	354	observed
1927	382	340	observed
1928	371	351	observed
1929	347	350	observed
1930	370	338	observed
1931	284	386	observed
1932	303	367	observed
1933	230	422	observed
1934	272	391	observed
1935	237	423	observed
1936	185	470	observed
1937	191	474	observed
1938	194	476	observed
1939	180	497	observed
1940	190	501	observed
1941	148	572	observed
1942	181	553	observed
1943	178	567	observed
1944	151	598	observed
1945	168	567	observed
1946	143	667	observed
1947	146	701	observed
1948	115	805	observed
1949	150	683	observed
1950	120	792	observed
1951	103	891	observed
1952	96	954	observed
1953	106	915	observed
1954	120	872	observed
1955	104	978	observed
1956	96	1,043	observed
1957	77	1,202	observed
1958	83	1,164	observed
1959	81	1,184	observed
1960	62	1,393	observed
1961	65	1,387	observed
1962	57	1,476	observed
1963	41	1,815	observed
1964	44	1,747	observed
1965	42	1,741	observed
1966	43	1,715	observed
1967	25	2,432	observed
1968	28	2,296	observed
1969	20	3,012	observed
1970	18	3,435	observed
1971	24	2,874	observed
1972	17	3,543	observed
1973	27	2,629	observed
1974	15	4,041	observed
1975	18	3,637	observed
1976	12	4,905	observed
1977	8	6,892	observed
1978	10	5,958	observed
1979	14	4,842	observed
1980	7	8,178	observed
1981	14	4,963	observed
1982	8	7,469	observed
1983	10	6,212	observed
1984	no value	no value	not covered
1985	10	6,457	observed
1986	9	7,134	observed
1987	6	9,825	observed
1988	7	9,244	observed
1989	7	9,681	observed
1990	no value	no value	not covered
1991	6	11,509	observed
1992	8	9,491	observed
1993	no value	no value	not covered
1994	10	8,122	observed
1995	no value	no value	not covered
1996	8	9,581	observed
1997	5	13,724	observed
1998	7	11,138	observed
1999	7	11,385	observed
2000	6	13,154	observed
2001	no value	no value	not covered
2002	5	15,432	observed
2003	no value	no value	not covered
2004	no value	no value	not covered
2005	8	11,834	observed
2006	8	12,420	observed
2007	5	17,636	observed
2008	8	12,579	observed
2009	5	17,294	observed
2010	8	12,276	observed
2011	5	16,764	observed
2012	5	16,869	observed
2013	5	16,547	observed
2014	6	14,558	observed
2015	13	8,447	observed
2016	13	8,393	observed
2017	7	12,713	observed
2018	16	7,100	observed
2019	14	7,716	observed
2020	10	9,546	observed
2021	12	8,464	observed
2022	12	8,542	observed
2023	14	7,640	observed
2024	17	6,642	observed
2025	16	6,838	observed

About this dataset and its counting rules

Statistics count the spelling “Zelma” as recorded by the publisher. When a spelling has several independent origins, the counts are not split between them. Counts measure applications. Gaps are years without a published value, not zeros.

Rates per million are unavailable for this series because no compatible denominator has been imported.

Universe: US national Social Security card applications by name, sex and birth year; not a complete birth registry, especially before 1937.
Rounding: Integer application counts retained without rounding.
Suppression: Only names with at least 5 occurrences in a year and sex are included. Missing observations are not zeros.
Ranking: computed by NameStoria from published counts; ties share a rank, next rank skips. The mirror's derived rank column is not used.

Retrieved 2026-10-15 · CC0-1.0

Read our methodology

04 / Through time

History

No historical attestations or sourced notable bearers are recorded yet. Historical databases are being evaluated for reuse permission; nothing is listed until a record can be cited.

A little story to keep

A name worth keeping.

Take the story of Zelma with you. Create a personal name passport with its meaning, roots and connections.

06 / Behind the facts

Sources for this page

Review status: Source-reported — no editorial review recorded yet. Last data change 2026-10-15.

Name origins & languageDictionaries, name records and related forms7

Wikidata Q18186427CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wiktionary: ZelmaCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Greek Wiktionary: ZelmaCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Italian Wiktionary: ZelmaCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Polish Wiktionary: ZelmaCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Russian Wiktionary: ZelmaCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Turkish Wiktionary: ZelmaCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14

Pronunciation recordingsAudio credits and individual recording licences1

Wikimedia Commons: File:LL-Q9027 (swe)-Moonhouse-Zelma.wavCC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Official statisticsPublishers, dataset licences and retrieval dates6

SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)
US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
South Australia — Popular Baby Names, per-year lists including names given once, 1944-2017
Attorney-General's Department, South Australia (via data.sa.gov.au) · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Ontario top baby names, historical archive 1917–2013
Government of Ontario (Office of the Registrar General) · OGL-ON-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Ontario first baby names, 1913–2023 (verified redistribution)
Government of Ontario; redistributed by helloharun · OGL-ON-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Fichier des prénoms — édition 2026 (naissances 1900 à 2025), fichier national
Insee (Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques) · LO-2.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Statistik Austria — Vornamen (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1): first names of live births, Austria, 1984-2025 (national counts from district rows)
Statistik Austria (Bundesanstalt Statistik Österreich) · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Wiktionary text: CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikidata: CC0. Commons recordings retain their individual file licences. Complete attribution is available in each group above and alongside each chart.

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About Zelma

Zelma is a feminine given name documented in English, Italian, Danish and 2 other languages. English Wiktionary records an etymology for it.

Etymology in the sources

Source-reported

First recorded as a given name of Latvians in 1875. Cognate with English Selma.

Sources for this account (6)

Wiktionary: ZelmaCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Greek Wiktionary: ZelmaCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Italian Wiktionary: ZelmaCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Polish Wiktionary: ZelmaCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Russian Wiktionary: ZelmaCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Turkish Wiktionary: ZelmaCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14

Where Zelma is used

Explore official naming statistics and documented language connections around the world.

The name atlas

Across borders

countries in our sources

Select a country to follow Zelma’s connections around the world.

5 countries with official statistics. Language records show cultural connections; they do not measure how common a name is.

Selected country

United States

Statistics + language records

United States, 2025: 16 girls (rank 6838). Documented as a given name in English.

Explore United States

4 of 16 countries

Popularity over time

Follow the spelling through the years, one published dataset at a time.

United States

1880–2025 Spelling: Zelma

Region and dataset

Latest · 2025: 16; applications; Rank #6,838
Peak year: 1919; 488 applications

Hover to explore a year. Use arrow keys when a chart point has focus.

Source: US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)

Integer application counts retained without rounding.

Per million is unavailable: this source has no matching published total.

Show the data table

Zelma in United States, girls: applications and rank by year
Year	Applications	Rank	Status
1880	19	375	observed
1881	17	405	observed
1882	21	389	observed
1883	16	480	observed
1884	29	368	observed
1885	18	500	observed
1886	32	378	observed
1887	27	424	observed
1888	37	403	observed
1889	43	368	observed
1890	52	354	observed
1891	63	317	observed
1892	56	351	observed
1893	57	356	observed
1894	77	318	observed
1895	80	322	observed
1896	82	321	observed
1897	104	277	observed
1898	104	305	observed
1899	120	261	observed
1900	131	287	observed
1901	127	256	observed
1902	189	216	observed
1903	176	224	observed
1904	198	217	observed
1905	161	258	observed
1906	188	231	observed
1907	212	227	observed
1908	199	242	observed
1909	240	233	observed
1910	220	257	observed
1911	268	240	observed
1912	307	255	observed
1913	342	252	observed
1914	373	270	observed
1915	487	266	observed
1916	466	276	observed
1917	477	283	observed
1918	471	294	observed
1919	488	287	observed
1920	448	308	observed
1921	445	310	observed
1922	467	296	observed
1923	447	306	observed
1924	417	330	observed
1925	431	322	observed
1926	356	354	observed
1927	382	340	observed
1928	371	351	observed
1929	347	350	observed
1930	370	338	observed
1931	284	386	observed
1932	303	367	observed
1933	230	422	observed
1934	272	391	observed
1935	237	423	observed
1936	185	470	observed
1937	191	474	observed
1938	194	476	observed
1939	180	497	observed
1940	190	501	observed
1941	148	572	observed
1942	181	553	observed
1943	178	567	observed
1944	151	598	observed
1945	168	567	observed
1946	143	667	observed
1947	146	701	observed
1948	115	805	observed
1949	150	683	observed
1950	120	792	observed
1951	103	891	observed
1952	96	954	observed
1953	106	915	observed
1954	120	872	observed
1955	104	978	observed
1956	96	1,043	observed
1957	77	1,202	observed
1958	83	1,164	observed
1959	81	1,184	observed
1960	62	1,393	observed
1961	65	1,387	observed
1962	57	1,476	observed
1963	41	1,815	observed
1964	44	1,747	observed
1965	42	1,741	observed
1966	43	1,715	observed
1967	25	2,432	observed
1968	28	2,296	observed
1969	20	3,012	observed
1970	18	3,435	observed
1971	24	2,874	observed
1972	17	3,543	observed
1973	27	2,629	observed
1974	15	4,041	observed
1975	18	3,637	observed
1976	12	4,905	observed
1977	8	6,892	observed
1978	10	5,958	observed
1979	14	4,842	observed
1980	7	8,178	observed
1981	14	4,963	observed
1982	8	7,469	observed
1983	10	6,212	observed
1984	no value	no value	not covered
1985	10	6,457	observed
1986	9	7,134	observed
1987	6	9,825	observed
1988	7	9,244	observed
1989	7	9,681	observed
1990	no value	no value	not covered
1991	6	11,509	observed
1992	8	9,491	observed
1993	no value	no value	not covered
1994	10	8,122	observed
1995	no value	no value	not covered
1996	8	9,581	observed
1997	5	13,724	observed
1998	7	11,138	observed
1999	7	11,385	observed
2000	6	13,154	observed
2001	no value	no value	not covered
2002	5	15,432	observed
2003	no value	no value	not covered
2004	no value	no value	not covered
2005	8	11,834	observed
2006	8	12,420	observed
2007	5	17,636	observed
2008	8	12,579	observed
2009	5	17,294	observed
2010	8	12,276	observed
2011	5	16,764	observed
2012	5	16,869	observed
2013	5	16,547	observed
2014	6	14,558	observed
2015	13	8,447	observed
2016	13	8,393	observed
2017	7	12,713	observed
2018	16	7,100	observed
2019	14	7,716	observed
2020	10	9,546	observed
2021	12	8,464	observed
2022	12	8,542	observed
2023	14	7,640	observed
2024	17	6,642	observed
2025	16	6,838	observed

About this dataset and its counting rules

Rates per million are unavailable for this series because no compatible denominator has been imported.

Universe: US national Social Security card applications by name, sex and birth year; not a complete birth registry, especially before 1937.
Rounding: Integer application counts retained without rounding.
Suppression: Only names with at least 5 occurrences in a year and sex are included. Missing observations are not zeros.
Ranking: computed by NameStoria from published counts; ties share a rank, next rank skips. The mirror's derived rank column is not used.

Retrieved 2026-10-15 · CC0-1.0

Read our methodology

Sources for this page

Review status: Source-reported — no editorial review recorded yet. Last data change 2026-10-15.

Name origins & languageDictionaries, name records and related forms7

Wikidata Q18186427CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wiktionary: ZelmaCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Greek Wiktionary: ZelmaCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Italian Wiktionary: ZelmaCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Polish Wiktionary: ZelmaCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Russian Wiktionary: ZelmaCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Turkish Wiktionary: ZelmaCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14

Pronunciation recordingsAudio credits and individual recording licences1

Wikimedia Commons: File:LL-Q9027 (swe)-Moonhouse-Zelma.wavCC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Official statisticsPublishers, dataset licences and retrieval dates6

SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)
US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
South Australia — Popular Baby Names, per-year lists including names given once, 1944-2017
Attorney-General's Department, South Australia (via data.sa.gov.au) · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Ontario top baby names, historical archive 1917–2013
Government of Ontario (Office of the Registrar General) · OGL-ON-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Ontario first baby names, 1913–2023 (verified redistribution)
Government of Ontario; redistributed by helloharun · OGL-ON-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Fichier des prénoms — édition 2026 (naissances 1900 à 2025), fichier national
Insee (Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques) · LO-2.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Statistik Austria — Vornamen (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1): first names of live births, Austria, 1984-2025 (national counts from district rows)
Statistik Austria (Bundesanstalt Statistik Österreich) · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15

Wiktionary text: CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikidata: CC0. Commons recordings retain their individual file licences. Complete attribution is available in each group above and alongside each chart.

Zelma

About Zelma

Etymology in the sources

Where Zelma is used

Across borders

United States

Popularity over time

United States

History

Salmine

Salome

Selma

A name worth keeping.

Sources for this page

Zelma

About Zelma

Etymology in the sources

Where Zelma is used

Across borders

United States

Popularity over time

United States

History

Salmine

Salome

Selma

A name worth keeping.

Sources for this page

A story to pass on.

About Zelma

Etymology in the sources

Where Zelma is used

Across borders

United States

Popularity over time

United States

History

Related names

Different forms. Shared stories.

Meet the family

Related names in the catalogue

Salmine

Salome

Selma

A name worth keeping.

Sources for this page

A story to pass on.

About Zelma

Etymology in the sources

Where Zelma is used

Across borders

United States

Popularity over time

United States

History

Related names

Different forms. Shared stories.

Meet the family

Related names in the catalogue

Salmine

Salome

Selma

A name worth keeping.

Sources for this page