Names That Mean Helmet

Selma has recently been given a more youthful spin via actresses Selma Blair and Salma Hayek. But while Selma has not yet become popular again in the US, it is widely used in both Sweden and Norway.

Historically a diminutive of Wilhelmina, Elma's parent name and soundalike sisters are slowly stirring back to life as the trend for vintage baby names continues. With Alma on the rise in the US, Thelma chic in France, and Selma hot in Scandinavia, Elma could be in with a shot at a revival – especially given the popularity of Emma and Ella. But Muppet Elmo and Looney Tune Elmer Fudd may cast a long shadow.

This cool surname and place name has multiple origins. As an Irish place name, it may derive from the Gaelic for "fair hilltop" or "head fort', while as a surname it comes from the Norse name Ketill, meaning "helmet, cauldron".

Velma likely originated as a phonetic spelling of the German name Wilma, itself derived from Wilhelmina. Velma Dinkley is a smart, if nerdy, character in Scooby Doo.

Malte began as a short form of the now-obsolete Ancient Germanic name Helmold. Helmold has gone extinct, but Malte has survived and is now enjoying a popularity resurgence in Germany and Sweden.

Sleek modern short form of a classic Scandinavian name.

A Top 10 name in Iceland, where it is also the name of an active volcano.

Firmly in Dad name territory in Norway, where it peaked in the early 1970s.

Hilma is heard in Germany and the Scandinavian countries, and sometimes used as a shortening of Wilhelmina--though there are more appealing German names for girls. to be found. Hilma Wolitzer is an American novelist and the mother of author Meg Wolitzer.

Distinctive-sounding Scandinavian name. with deep roots. Short form is the attractive Jari.

Old Norse name that lives on more appealingly in modern times as Jalmari, short form Jari. This form remains popular in Sweden, however.

Cool Finnish name ripe for import.

Manx variant of the Norse name Asketill.

Scottish form of Asketill or Askell

The Selma-Thelma-Velma connection dates it.

A grandfather name in Norway, where it was a Top 5 name through the 1940s and '50s.

Cornish form of William

Derived from Germanic elements adal "noble" and helm "helmet", this Old French name was born by a 10th century saint. Alléaume and Aliaume are variant spellings.

From elements meaning "a god" and "cauldron, helmet", this name is more at home in a Norse saga than on a baby, even in its native Scandinavia. But variants Askell and Eskil feel interesting and wearable.