The story
- Arabic · derived fromسَلْمَى
- Turkish · borrowed fromSelma
- Scottish Gaelic · derived fromsealladh
- English todaySelma
Taken to use in the 19th century when similar-sounding names, Elma, Thelma, Alma, Wilma, etc. were in vogue. Perhaps a shortening of Anselma, or from the name of a place in the James Macpherson's Ossian cycle of epic poems, itself from Scottish Gaelic sealladh + math (“good vision”). In some cases perhaps borrowed from Turkish Selma, from Arabic سَلْمَى (salmā).
Words from the same roots
Arabicسَلْمَى all →
Salma
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.