Selah
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Meaning
word from the Psalms; meaning uncertain, possibly "to pause and reflect"
The story
Selah is a Hebrew musical or liturgical term found repeatedly in the Psalms and a few times in Habakkuk. Its exact meaning is uncertain, though many scholars think it marked a musical pause or instruction in performance. That makes familiar modern readings such as pause and reflect evocative interpretations, not secure literal translations. As a given name, Selah takes a word that readers have encountered on the biblical page and lets its sound stand independently. The US curve is nearly empty until the late twentieth century, begins to register in the 1970s and 1980s, rises in the 2000s, and moves into its highest band in the 2010s and 2020s. The timing shows a modern naming life for a very old textual word. Selah's appeal can include stillness and music, but its honest history leaves room for uncertainty rather than claiming that ancient translators settled every nuance.
How popular is Selah around the world?
In the United States, 6,088 babies were named Selah between 2020 and 2025.
Selah is on the official records of the United States, Canada, England and Wales and Austria.
United States
1 in 3,600
In the United States, 6,088 babies were named Selah between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Selah peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Canada
1 in 8,000
In Canada, 46 girls named Selah were born in 2024, the 619th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
England and Wales
1 in 49,000
In England and Wales, 12 girls named Selah were born in 2025, ranked 2,278th among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Austria
1 in 76,000
In Austria, 1 girl named Selah was born in 2025, ranked 1,875th among girls that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
Argentina
last on record 2022
Selah is not on the 2024 record for Argentina, where small counts are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
South Australia
last on record 1979
Selah is not on the 2017 record for South Australia, whose registry publishes every name given that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Not on the record in Spain, Mexico City, Puerto Rico, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Selah
Most people given the name Selah in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Keep exploring
The Selah deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Selah truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Selah fits with your family’s names and surname.
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