NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Selia

Meaning "Moon" or "Lunar", a feminine name of Arabic origin.

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Selia is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Selia popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5891, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2018, with 3 births.

This profile covers 6 England and Wales registrations across 2 recorded years from 2018 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 100% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 6 living people in the UK are called Selia. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Selia ranked #5891 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 3 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2018, when 3 girls were registered as Selia.
  • About 6 living people in the UK are estimated to have Selia as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#5891

2024

Births in 2024

3

Latest year

Peak year

2018

3 births

Estimated living

6

2026

Meaning

What does Selia mean?

The name Selia is of Greek origin, derived from the word "selene," meaning "moon." This name was particularly prevalent in ancient Greece during the Classical period, around the 5th century BCE. The moon held significant symbolic value in Greek mythology, often associated with the goddesses Artemis and Selene.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Selia can be found in the works of the ancient Greek philosopher Plutarch, who lived between 46-120 CE. In his writings, he mentions a woman named Selia, though little is known about her beyond her name.

During the Byzantine era, spanning from the 4th to the 15th centuries, the name Selia was occasionally used among the Greek population, particularly in regions like Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) and the Greek islands.

In the 16th century, a notable figure named Selia Venetian was a renowned poet and scholar in Venice, Italy. Her works were widely celebrated during the Renaissance period, though few details about her personal life have survived.

In the 18th century, Selia Andersen (1722-1798) was a Danish composer and musician who gained recognition for her compositions for the harpsichord and her contributions to the musical culture of Copenhagen.

Another influential figure was Selia Marsden (1874-1942), a British suffragette and activist who fought for women's rights to vote and worked towards social reforms in the early 20th century.

While the name Selia has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has been used across various cultures and time periods, often associated with the moon's symbolic significance and occasionally adopted by notable individuals in literature, music, and social movements.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Selia over time

The chart below shows babies named Selia registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2018 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Selia, the clearest high point is 2018. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2024, compared with 3 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Selia
01223201820212024

Decades

Selia by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Selia was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #5891 3 1
2010s #5666 3 1

Related

Names similar to Selia

FAQ

Selia: questions and answers

How popular is the name Selia in the UK right now?

In 2024, Selia was ranked #5891 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.

When was Selia most popular?

The peak year on record was 2018, with 3 babies registered as Selia in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Selia?

Meaning "Moon" or "Lunar", a feminine name of Arabic origin.

How many people are called Selia in the UK?

A total of 6 babies have been registered as Selia across the 2 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.