Sela
Sela was the 4738th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 29 babies. Its best year was 2000, when it ranked 2048th with 81 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 99 places. More babies were named Sela in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Selah) Origin uncertain · Hebrew
- Rank in 2025
- #4,738 girls, up 1,550 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 29girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 200081 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,328babies recorded
What does the name Sela mean?
Sela is a spelling of Selah, pronounced the same way, so it shares Selah's meaning and origin.
Selah is a Hebrew word that appears about seventy times in the Psalms, usually at the end of a verse, as in Psalm 3:3. Its meaning is not known; it is generally taken as a musical or liturgical instruction, and Wiktionary notes a suggested link with a root meaning "to lift up" or "to weigh". It was probably never a personal name in the Bible; its use as a girl's name is modern.
סֶלָה (Biblical Hebrew, “interjection in the Psalms (meaning unknown)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. The word's meaning is unknown; interpretations as 'pause' or 'praise' are guesses.
Other explanations you may read: means 'pause and reflect'.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Selah', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Hebrew Bible / Tanakh, Psalms 3.3, JPS translation with notes (via Sefaria), Sefaria
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'selah', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Sela popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,738 | 29 |
| 2020 | #6,288 | 19 |
| 2010 | #4,715 | 31 |
| 2000 | #2,048 | 81 |
| 1990 | #11,142 | 7 |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | #5,977 | 5 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Sela, counting every spelling?
Sela is a spelling of Selah, a name family that ranked #233 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #4,738 for Sela on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,460 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selah | 1,416 | #216 | 5,290 |
| Sela | 29 | #4,738 | 135 |
| Seela | 15 | #7,439 | 54 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Sela?
29 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Sela (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Sela born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 291 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Sela.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Sela?
About 1,300 people born in the US named Sela are alive today, with a median age of 20; half are between 12 and 25. That makes Sela mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Sela by state
How common Sela was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 49 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Sela: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Sela, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Sela
What does Sela mean?
The origin of Selah is uncertain: the word's meaning is unknown; interpretations as 'pause' or 'praise' are guesses.
How popular is the name Sela?
Sela was the 4738th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 29 babies. Its best year was 2000, when it ranked 2048th with 81 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 99 places. More babies were named Sela in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Sela a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Sela in the US.
Where is Sela most popular?
In 2021–2025, Sela was most common in New York (0.03 per 1,000 girls), followed by California and California.