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Selma (given name)

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Selma
GenderFeminine
Origin
Language(s)Arabic
Meaning"Peaceful"
Other names
Variant form(s)Selim
Related namesSelima, Zelma

Selma is a feminine name of ambiguous origin. It could be a form of Selima, which in turn is a name first recorded in a poem by Thomas Gray (died 1771). One possibility is that Selima was influenced by the Arabic name Selim meaning "peaceful".[1] In Turkey, the name is a variation of the Arabic female name Salma. The name may also have Celtic origins, in which case it means "beautiful view".[2]

The use of Selma in Germany and Scandinavia stems from the Ossianic poetry of James Macpherson (died 1796), where it appears as a place name.[1][2][3][4] Its specific popularity in Sweden is likely due to the Selma poems of Frans Michael Franzén (died 1847). It was later introduced into Denmark by Swedish immigrants, after which it likely became more common due to the works of the author Selma Lagerlöf (died 1940).[3] The given name lost popularity in Sweden during most of the 20th century, but has had an upswing since the 1990s. In 1999, it joined the list of 100 most common names for Swedish female infants, and in 2017 and 2018, it was in the 16th place.[2]

Given name

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Fictional characters

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  • Selma Bouvier, The Simpsons character voiced by Julie Kavner
  • Selma Jezková, fictional character in the Lars von Trier film Dancer in the Dark played by Björk

Citations

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  1. ^ a b Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 243.
  2. ^ a b c "Selma". Swedish Institute for Language and Folklore (in Swedish). Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  3. ^ a b Fellows-Jensen (2006) pp. 134–136.
  4. ^ Vigsø (2001).

Sources

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  • Fellows-Jensen, G (2001). "Danish Place-names in Scotland and Scottish Personal Names in Denmark: A Survey of Recent Research". In Fellows-Jensen, G (ed.). Denmark and Scotland: The Cultural and Environmental Resources of Small Nations. Historisk-filosofiske Meddelelser (series vol. 82). Copenhagen: Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab. ISBN 87-7876-229-4. ISSN 0106-0481.
  • Hanks, P; Hardcastle, K; Hodges, F (2006) [1990]. A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1.
  • Vigsø, O (2005). "168: The Language of 19th Century Translations II: Danish". In Bandle, O; Braunmüller, K; Jahr, EH; Karker, A; Naumann, H-P; Teleman, U; Elmevik, L; Widmark, G (eds.). The Nordic Languages: An International Handbook of the History of the North Germanic Languages. Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft (series vol. 22). Vol. 2. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 1513–1514. ISBN 3-11-017149-X.
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