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Selim as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Selim

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The baby name Selim is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced Turkish: /seˈlim/ (seh-LEEM); Arabic: /saˈliːm/ (sah-LEEM); English approx.: seh-LEEM.

Selim is Turkish in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Turkish
Pronunciation: Turkish: /seˈlim/ (seh-LEEM); Arabic: /saˈliːm/ (sah-LEEM); English approx.: seh-LEEM

What is the meaning of the name Selim ?

The baby name Selim is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced Turkish: /seˈlim/ (seh-LEEM); Arabic: /saˈliːm/ (sah-LEEM); English approx.: seh-LEEM.

Selim is Turkish in Origin.

Selim is a Turkish and Arabic given name from Arabic Salīm (سليم), built on the s-l-m root meaning “safe, unharmed, sound, pure,” with connotations of peace and wholeness. It spread through the Ottoman realm and wider Islamic cultures. Prominent bearers include three Ottoman sultans - Selim I (Yavuz), Selim II, and Selim III - securing its prestige in Turkey and the Balkans. The name is also well established in North Africa and the Levant, and among Bosniak and Albanian Muslims.

Variants include Salim and the South Asian or anglicized Saleem; related names are Salem (Sālim) and the rarer Ottoman-style Selîm. Feminine counterparts appear as Selime or Salima. The name enters European arts as Bassa Selim in Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail. Today Selim balances tradition and simplicity, widely used in Turkish and Arabic-speaking communities and across the diaspora, appreciated for its auspicious sense of safety, integrity, and inner peace.

Selim has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Selim

Selim I Royal · Born 1470 Selim I was the Ottoman sultan best known for ruling the empire from 1512 to 1520 and greatly expanding its power. Also called Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute, he lived from 1470 to 1520.

Selim – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Germany Boys 2025 #1 423
Ireland Boys 2023 #1 807
TM Boys 0 #30 7 614
AZ 0 #40 4 706
AL 0 #68 9 2,372
MV Boys 0 #71 9 3,375
AZ Girls 0 #75 1 1,051
JP 0 #76 2 4,057
SI 0 #78 3 1,612
MD Boys 0 #81 1 756
BG 0 #82 1 1,799
TR 0 #87 27,455 19,440
KZ 0 #94 1 1,452
QA 0 #100 7 7,011
AZ Boys 0 #104 27 1,400
GE Boys 0 #106 5 2,055
BD Boys 0 #112 1,360 10,045
HU 0 #115 1 1,675
SI Boys 0 #118 96 3,402
KW 0 #119 3 5,216
OM 0 #121 1 6,215
AL Boys 0 #122 216 5,122
BD 0 #124 106 5,992
Switzerland Boys 2024 #132 6 1,769
BN Boys 0 #132 8 6,332
GR 0 #133 3 3,911
RS Boys 0 #137 18 2,277
BG Boys 0 #143 79 3,850
LT Boys 0 #151 1 2,166
Belgium Boys 2024 #156 33 401
CR 0 #165 1 5,526
HU Boys 0 #172 3 3,954
SI Girls 0 #174 4 2,769
Sweden Boys 2022 #179 4 1,509
AE 0 #180 8 10,220
RU 0 #193 2 3,641
DK 0 #206 1 5,198
LU Boys 0 #212 9 4,970
GR Boys 0 #222 46 6,912
AL Girls 0 #223 5 4,141
PS 0 #226 1 5,692
BG Girls 0 #229 3 3,559
NA Girls 0 #237 1 7,146
EC Boys 0 #246 1 3,322
EG Boys 0 #248 1,622 15,035
France Boys 2021 #251 145 2,865
NA Boys 0 #253 1 6,830
HR Boys 0 #254 6 3,997
KZ Boys 0 #265 25 6,578
NG 0 #270 3 5,926
TN 0 #274 1,357 13,765
SA 0 #275 21 10,560
SG 0 #282 1 11,010
Canada Boys 2024 #289 18 2,588
Austria Boys 0 #290 158 2,180
JP Boys 0 #295 9 7,909
DK Boys 0 #298 28 7,401
QA Girls 0 #299 18 15,378
CZ Boys 0 #305 1 6,530
DK Girls 0 #328 2 7,429
CN Boys 0 #330 2 9,639
KZ Girls 0 #332 1 5,862
PL Boys 0 #336 5 6,459
BD Girls 0 #340 47 8,413
OM Girls 0 #344 53 15,987
MY 0 #354 1 12,352
EG 0 #355 46 6,387
HK 0 #357 1 8,483
MU Boys 0 #366 4 8,477
PT Boys 0 #379 3 7,951
JO Boys 0 #381 9 7,057
NL 0 #381 11 2,481
SD Boys 0 #382 64 10,523
BH 0 #385 169 17,937
Germany 0 #386 52 2,542
YE 0 #390 9 8,639
Germany Boys 0 #391 815 5,697
BO 0 #404 5 6,868
PH Boys 0 #408 1 11,440
Finland Boys 0 #410 18 2,041
OM Boys 0 #412 611 17,948
UY Boys 0 #413 1 5,922
RU Boys 0 #415 91 12,621
CL 0 #433 2 6,867
KW Boys 0 #434 361 18,755
SG Boys 0 #450 255 17,960
QA Boys 0 #467 244 18,093
AR Boys 0 #480 4 7,628
LY 0 #490 46 12,703
KW Girls 0 #497 19 19,177
PA Boys 0 #499 7 9,305
CR Boys 0 #509 2 10,188
AE Girls 0 #510 44 20,968
CO 0 #510 1 7,768
IQ Girls 0 #518 8 11,303
RU Girls 0 #521 3 11,913
IQ Boys 0 #529 139 13,071
PS Boys 0 #533 16 10,655
SA Boys 0 #538 1,986 28,008
IR Boys 0 #543 10 10,162
LB 0 #545 114 13,263
HK Boys 0 #556 2 12,905
CM Girls 0 #560 1 11,671
Finland Boys 2026 #568 115 3,552
CM Boys 0 #574 2 12,054
BO Boys 0 #579 14 9,244
IL Boys 0 #594 14 10,983
IN Girls 0 #617 15 13,121
CL Boys 0 #621 45 13,390
AR Girls 0 #629 2 8,289
SG Girls 0 #631 2 18,916
BO Girls 0 #648 4 9,488
HK Girls 0 #649 2 16,104
AE Boys 0 #664 466 22,615
NL Boys 0 #694 263 5,873
IT 0 #700 15 4,183
SY 0 #711 18 11,684
BR Boys 0 #785 1 12,213
EG Girls 0 #813 147 14,742
IN Boys 0 #817 186 16,750
SA Girls 0 #821 115 25,931
NG Girls 0 #823 4 15,093
United States Boys 2024 #829 64 7,044
PE Boys 0 #864 15 14,506
Spain Boys 0 #910 21 5,610
CL Girls 0 #913 3 14,098
NG Boys 0 #915 37 16,906
DZ 0 #917 261 20,130
MY Boys 0 #929 184 25,439
MX Boys 0 #956 27 16,355
IT Boys 0 #976 514 10,046
CO Boys 0 #980 2 15,656
PE Girls 0 #1,009 2 14,861
MA 0 #1,065 64 20,986
MY Girls 0 #1,066 7 24,821
ZA Boys 0 #1,167 12 25,619
MX Girls 0 #1,264 4 17,781
IT Girls 0 #1,431 16 9,415

Selim is popular in 78 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Wallonia, Belgium
Switzerland
United States
Belgium

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People also ask about Selim

Selim is predominantly a boy's name.
Selim is a 2 syllable name, pronounced Turkish: /seˈlim/ (seh-LEEM); Arabic: /saˈliːm/ (sah-LEEM); English approx.: seh-LEEM.
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Salim, Saleem, Salem and Selîm.
Across languages, Selim has these equivalents: Salim (Arabic cognate), Saleem (alternative Arabic spelling), Salem (Hebrew/Arabic root š-l-m), Shalom / Shalem (Hebrew, 'peace/complete'), Solomon (from Hebrew Shlomo, 'peace'), and 1 more.
Yes, very popular — Selim ranked #1 in Germany in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 9 countries.
Selim ranks highest in Germany (#1 in 2025).
Selim's popularity is rising significantly. It moved from #309 in 2011 to #251 in 2021 in France.
Yes — 1 notable people named Selim are in our database, including Selim I (Royal).