NameRealm
Selah

Selah: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“uncertain; likely pause or lift up”
Origin
Hebrew
Say it
SEE-lə · 2 syllables
Used for
Girls

A liturgical or musical term found in the Hebrew Bible, especially in Psalms. Its exact meaning is uncertain, so modern use as a given name draws from the biblical word rather than a personal name tradition.

Hebrew namesEnglish namesNames meaning faithNames meaning musicBiblical names

How popular is Selah?

2024343 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Selah in 20241,143

2024 rank#280 girls

Peak year2024

Total US babies since 188013,941

Selah is rising: use over the last five years is 1.9× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Selah

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Elizabethmy God is an oath · Hebrew
  • Elianamy God has answered · Hebrew
  • Abigailmy father is joy · Hebrew
  • Naomipleasantness · Hebrew
  • Hannahgrace; favor · Hebrew
  • Maryuncertain, traditionally beloved or bitter · Hebrew
  • Delilahdelicate · Hebrew
  • Leahweary; uncertain · Hebrew

Selah questions

What does the name Selah mean?

Selah means "uncertain; likely pause or lift up". It comes from Hebrew. A liturgical or musical term found in the Hebrew Bible, especially in Psalms. Its exact meaning is uncertain, so modern use as a given name draws from the biblical word rather than a personal name tradition.

Is Selah a boy or girl name?

Selah is mainly a girl's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Selah?

1,143 US babies were named Selah in 2024. Its peak year was 2024.

How do you pronounce Selah?

Selah is usually pronounced SEE-lə.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.