Selkie as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Selkie

What is the meaning of the name Selkie ?

The baby name Selkie is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced SEL-kee (/ˈsɛlki/).

Selkie is Irish, Scottish in Origin.

Selkie is a modern given name drawn from the Scots word for a seal, selkie/selchie, ultimately related to Old Norse selr and Old English seolh (“seal”). In the folklore of Orkney and Shetland, selkies are shapeshifting seal‑people who shed their skins to take human form, a motif that conveys themes of transformation, oceanic mystery, and bittersweet belonging. As a name, Selkie carries the literal meaning “seal” or “seal-folk,” with maritime, mythic overtones.

Documented as a common noun since the 18th–19th centuries, Selkie has little evidence of historical use as a given name; its adoption is largely 20th–21st‑century in Anglophone countries, especially among lovers of Celtic and Northern lore. Variant spellings include Selchie and Silkie; related forms appear in Gaelic and Norse tales but are not standard as names. Selkie functions as a unisex choice, sometimes shortened to Sel.

⚙ Selkie is exceptionally rare. Our whole dataset turns up only 1 recorded use, across 1 country.