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Sela
OriginHebrew
Meaning"rock"
About Sela
Sela is a Biblical place name, the original term for the city of Petra, which is finding new life through actress Sela Ward, star of several TV series. The young daughter of singer Lauryn Hill is named Selah, pronounced the same but with a different derivation and meaning. Found among early African-American enslaved people, it was sometimes spelled Cela or Cella.
Pronounced SEL-ah.
As of October 2026, Sela ranked #4738 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #2048 in 2000.
Editor's take: The name Sela is a girl's name of Hebrew origin meaning "rock".
Popularity & trends
US popularity — history
US rank, lower is more popular · SSA data 2014–2025
Actual · SSA
20142025
18802025
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #4,343 | 34 | 19 |
| 2015 | #4,836 | 29 | 16.2 |
| 2016 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | #3,486 | 45 | 26.5 |
| 2019 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | #4,173 | 35 | 21.6 |
| 2025 | #4,738 | 29 | 18 |
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Sela on lists
Famous Selas
- Sela Ann Ward
American actress
Sela in pop culture
- Sela
a city in or near Moab (Isaiah 16:1)
- Sela
character on TV's "Star Trek"
Variations & nicknames
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