Selah Name Meaning

Selah carries a sense of musicality and emphasis.

Origins of the Name Selah

Selah is a word found in the book of Psalms in the Bible, specifically 73 times. It is thought to be a musical direction, possibly indicating a pause or a moment of emphasis in a piece of music. The exact meaning of Selah is up for debate, with some scholars interpreting it as “forever,” while others believe it to mean “to lift up.”

Popularity of the Name Selah

In recent years, Selah has seen a rise in popularity as a baby girl’s name. In fact, it has been on the rise since the late 1990s and early 2000s, with a sharp uptick in usage in the past decade. In 2020, Selah was the 474th most popular name for baby girls in the United States.

Final Thoughts on the Name Selah

Selah is a unique and beautiful name with a rich history and a sense of musicality. It’s been on the rise in popularity in recent years and is sure to be a conversation starter for your little one. Whether you interpret Selah as “forever” or “to lift up,” one thing is for sure: your Selah will be a standout in a sea of Emma’s and Olivia’s.

Infographic of Selah name meaning, which is “A musical pause,” in allusion to the musical direction found in the Psalms. From the Hebrew.
Ask your friends & family about Selah…

Selah Name Popularity

How popular is the name Selah? Here’s everything we know.

Year Rank # Births % Births
1910 — 0 0%
1911 — 0 0%
1912 — 0 0%
1913 — 0 0%
1914 — 0 0%
1915 — 0 0%
1916 — 0 0%
1917 — 0 0%
1918 — 0 0%
1919 — 0 0%
1920 — 0 0%
1921 — 0 0%
1922 — 0 0%
1923 — 0 0%
1924 — 0 0%
1925 — 0 0%
1926 — 0 0%
1927 — 0 0%
1928 — 0 0%
1929 — 0 0%
1930 — 0 0%
1931 — 0 0%
1932 — 0 0%
1933 — 0 0%
1934 — 0 0%
1935 — 0 0%
1936 — 0 0%
1937 — 0 0%
1938 — 0 0%
1939 — 0 0%
1940 — 0 0%
1941 — 0 0%
1942 — 0 0%
1943 — 0 0%
1944 — 0 0%
1945 — 0 0%
1946 — 0 0%
1947 — 0 0%
1948 — 0 0%
1949 — 0 0%
1950 — 0 0%
1951 — 0 0%
1952 — 0 0%
1953 — 0 0%
1954 — 0 0%
1955 — 0 0%
1956 — 0 0%
1957 — 0 0%
1958 — 0 0%
1959 — 0 0%
1960 — 0 0%
1961 — 0 0%
1962 — 0 0%
1963 — 0 0%
1964 — 0 0%
1965 — 0 0%
1966 — 0 0%
1967 — 0 0%
1968 — 0 0%
1969 — 0 0%
1970 — 0 0%
1971 — 0 0%
1972 — 0 0%
1973 — 0 0%
1974 — 0 0%
1975 — 0 0%
1976 — 0 0%
1977 — 0 0%
1978 — 0 0%
1979 — 0 0%
1980 — 0 0%
1981 — 0 0%
1982 — 0 0%
1983 — 0 0%
1984 — 0 0%
1985 — 0 0%
1986 — 0 0%
1987 — 0 0%
1988 — 0 0%
1989 — 0 0%
1990 — 0 0%
1991 — 0 0%
1992 3,945 5 0.0003%
1993 3,687 5 0.0003%
1994 3,650 5 0.0003%
1995 3,010 8 0.0005%
1996 2,769 11 0.0007%
1997 3,342 6 0.0004%
1998 2,537 15 0.001%
1999 1,600 52 0.0035%
2000 1,717 49 0.0032%
2001 1,492 71 0.0047%
2002 1,281 99 0.0066%
2003 1,138 138 0.0091%
2004 1,186 131 0.0086%
2005 888 230 0.015%
2006 834 272 0.0174%
2007 829 291 0.0184%
2008 762 329 0.0213%
2009 681 376 0.0252%
2010 621 423 0.0294%
2011 558 469 0.0329%
2012 519 532 0.0373%
2013 525 512 0.036%
2014 522 542 0.0372%
2015 457 647 0.0445%
2016 451 643 0.0446%
2017 435 661 0.0474%
2018 423 689 0.0501%
2019 431 646 0.0477%
2020 422 668 0.0525%
2021 386 723 0.0591%
2022 358 847 0.0642%

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Connecticut (CT)

Delaware (DE)

Florida (FL)

Georgia (GA)

Hawaii (HI)

Iowa (IA)

Idaho (ID)

Illinois (IL)

Indiana (IN)

Kansas (KS)

Kentucky (KY)

Louisiana (LA)

Massachusetts (MA)

Maryland (MD)

Michigan (MI)

Minnesota (MN)

Missouri (MO)

Mississippi (MS)

Montana (MT)

North Carolina (NC)

North Dakota (ND)

Nebraska (NE)

New Jersey (NJ)

New Mexico (NM)

Nevada (NV)

New York (NY)

Ohio (OH)

Oklahoma (OK)

Oregon (OR)

Pennsylvania (PA)

South Carolina (SC)

South Dakota (SD)

Tennessee (TN)

Texas (TX)

Utah (UT)

Virginia (VA)

Washington (WA)

Wisconsin (WI)

West Virginia (WV)

Data via SSA.gov.

Lists With Selah

Find inspiration in these baby girl name lists featuring the name Selah.

Siblings of Selah

Mamas with kids named Selah also have kids with these names.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Hudson

Son of Hudd

English

Bram

Bramble; a thicket of wild gorse; raven

Scottish

Fanny

From France

Latin

Athan

Eternal life

Greek

Brigid

Exalted one

Gaelic

Evangeline

Good news

English

Rowan

Of the rowan tree

Gaelic

Scarlett

Shade of red

English

Sayer

Wood-worker

Welsh

Israel

God contends

Hebrew

Zane

God is gracious

American

23 Comments

  1. Selah, you find it in the Bible and means “Amen” “so be it” and “pause and reflect on what was just said “… it fits beautifully with her second name Patience!

    Reply

  2. We named her Selah because Jesus has been chasing me with rest in my life. We had a hard time getting pregnant and a big reason was because my hormones couldn’t regulate because I didn’t know how to manage stress. I had to learn how to “Selah” so to speak.

    Reply

  3. How and why did you chose the name Selah? Prayer! I asked God the gender and her name after i took the pregnancy test!
    What do you like (or dislike) about the name Selah?
    I love that one of the translations of Selah means my song to God!

    Reply

  4. It’s a biblical reference and we loved the meaning “to pause and reflect”. It was unique but beautiful to us.

    Reply

  5. It’s biblical and felt it was chosen by God for her

    Reply

  6. I had always thought of Selah being a boy’s name. I’ve even heard it being used as a boy’s name a few times. Come to find out (at least through Google searching, and as shown on this list), it’s more popular as a girl’s name. Has anyone else used or heard of Selah being used as a boy’s name? We’d love to use it if we end up having a boy!

    Reply

    • My paternal great grandfather’s first name was Selah, my grandfather’s first name was Selah, my father’s first name was Selah and my eldest brother’s first name is Selah.

      Reply

  7. Selah is Hebrew from the book of Psalms and loosely means to pause, meditate on what the Lord has done for us. After losing our daughter, River, last year in the second trimester, the name Selah is a reminder to stop and remember that God has shed so much mercy on us. Also, reminds us to stop and remember our baby River.
    My only complaint is multiple pronunciations. We picked “See-luh” but all ready have had people call her say-luh.

    Reply

  8. I knew this was my daughter’s name when I was 6 mo pregnant with her. She would be someone who stopped, remembered who God was and His faithfulness for her life.

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  9. It is from the psalms and means to pause – God gave me this word in a season of grief where life felt like my life was on pause when I didn’t want it to be, but it became an invitation to connect with Him and be comforted, strengthened, and sanctified by Him. Her middle name is Grace – a gift from God that I do not deserve – so she is my reminder to pause and reflect on the Lord, and what a gift it is to be able to do that anytime, anywhere, no matter my circumstances! My prayer is that she would know, love, and abide in Jesus, and that her life would reflect Him and the gift of salvation.
    only downside is that many pronounce it as “sell-uh” rather than what we call her – “say-luh”, but we chose to stick with the Hebrew word that appears in the bible so the she can see her name in the Bible! But its good that she will learn how to correct people and tell them the right way to pronounce her name.

    Reply

  10. I love the meaning. It means to praise, or to pause and reflect on what has been said.

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  11. Selah is found in the Hebrew Bible seventy-four times. Scholars believe that when it appears in the text, it is a direction to the reader to stop reading and be still for a moment, because the previous idea is important enough to consider deeply… Selah appears in Hebrew music too. It’s believed to be a signal to the music director to silence the choir for a long moment, to hold space between notes. The silence, of course, is when the music sinks in.”
    – Untamed, @Glennondoyle

    I liked this word so much and what it embodied that I got it tattooed on my wrist last June 2020. Then, coincidentally or not, less than a month later in July, I met the most amazing man that I get to call my husband. @samabalalig.

    In January 2021, we found out we were pregnant and shortly thereafter, we found out it was a girl. During a random conversation with Sambala about (one of) my tattoos “Selah” and its meaning he stopped and said “Doesn’t that make a beautiful name for our baby girl? Selah.” I didn’t even blink an eye. “Yes.”
    So… In honor of my late Grandma Shirley and Sambala’s late Father Ali and to give our daughter a name that stands for something we both deeply believe is an essential part of life, may we introduce you to:

    Selah Ali Liggonah. Born 9/8/21. 4:26pm

    Believe me, I have a lot to say about this pregnancy journey, especially the labor and delivery, and the ups and downs of adjusting to the first week of having a newborn baby and becoming parents with my man who just became my husband a couple months ago!

    But, for now, … S E L A H.

    Reply

  12. We love the name Selah. I knew if we had another girl, it would be a top choice. I love the meaning behind it. I am a singer, and its strong ties to musical direction in the book of Psalms was perfect for me. It references a musical pause, and instructs the reader to stop, reflect, and listen. It is very powerful and a form or praise. We pronounce it See-lah. I have seen it pronounced both ways, but we chose the Biblical pronunciation.
    REPLY

    Reply

  13. I love the meaning and the reverence behind Selah. It is found in the Habakkuk and the book of Psalms. It means to “rest or pause” and is considered a musical direction. I love the name!

    Reply

    • We love the name Selah. I knew if we had another girl, it would be a top choice. I love the meaning behind it. I am a singer, and its strong ties to musical direction in the book of Psalms was perfect for me. It references a musical pause, and instructs the reader to stop, reflect, and listen. It is very powerful and a form or praise. We pronounce it See-lah. I have seen it pronounced both ways, but we chose the Biblical pronunciation.

      Reply

      • I just had to reply because we are both named Jennifer lol. I named my daughter Selah in 2015. I have only met 2 people who have named their daughters that

        Reply

  14. It means, “to pause and to praise, to reflect on God’s goodness”.

    Reply

  15. oI love the meaning -pause and reflect onGods word
    oIts biblical
    oUnique
    oLooks pretty written out and monogrammed

    Reply

  16. Selah means “to pause and praise God” and is a closing word in the Psalms. Her middle name, Christine, means “follower of Christ.” We chose the name out of its beauty and meaning, as it gives us a chance to share the gospel with everyone who asks us where we chose her name!

    Reply

  17. The name Selah (SAY-luh) has several possible meanings–it’s found in the book of Psalms and is placed in King David’s poetry and music following stanzas with the believed intent of seeking pause, praise, and reflection on the wonders and mysteries of God ?

    Reply

  18. The meaning was important to us. Most people don’t know how to pronounce it but that doesn’t bother us much.

    Reply

  19. From the book of Pslams, dislike the multiple pronuniations

    Reply

  20. We didn’t have any girl names, only boy names, picked out and had to pray about a name.
    My husband looked through the Bible and found Selah and we instantly knew that was it!
    Being musicians ourselves, we love that it’s a musical term meaning to pause, to take a break, to ponder upon.

    Reply

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