Selestine
Of Latin origin, meaning "heavenly" or "divine".
Name Census estimates that about 20 living Americans carry the first name Selestine. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Selestine today is around 79 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Selestine births was 1949 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Selestine. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Selestine is about 79 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Selestines were born before 1957.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Selestine. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
20
~ 1 in 17,137,717 Americans
Peak year
1949
8 babies that year
Average age
79
years old
1951 SSA rank
#5,321
Tracked since 1925
Popularity
Selestine: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Selestine from the 1920s through to the 1950s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 24 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1940s peak, Selestine remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Selestine by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Selestine during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Selestine
The name Selestine has its origins in the Latin language and culture, dating back to ancient Roman times. It is derived from the Latin word "caelestis," meaning "heavenly" or "celestial." The spelling "Selestine" is a later variation that emerged in medieval Europe.
In ancient Roman mythology, the name was associated with deities and celestial beings. It was often given to children as a way to invoke divine protection and blessings. The earliest known historical figure with this name was Selestine, a Roman noblewoman who lived in the 3rd century AD.
During the Middle Ages, the name gained popularity among Christians, particularly in regions influenced by the Catholic Church. It was often chosen for its religious connotations and connection to the celestial realm. One notable figure was Selestine V, who was elected Pope in 1294 but resigned after just five months, an unprecedented act in papal history.
In the Renaissance period, the name Selestine continued to be used, though less frequently. One notable bearer was Selestine de Medicis, an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts, who lived from 1568 to 1635.
As the name spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Celestine, Celestina, and Celestyna. In the 19th century, the French writer Honoré de Balzac introduced the character Selestine in his novel "Père Goriot," contributing to the name's literary legacy.
Other notable historical figures with the name Selestine include:
1. Selestine de Michiel (1490-1557), a Venetian noblewoman and patron of the arts.
2. Selestine Renard (1783-1867), a French painter and engraver.
3. Selestine Dufour (1833-1892), a French botanist and plant collector.
4. Selestine Freinet (1896-1983), a French educator and pioneer of modern teaching methods.
5. Selestine Sibusiso Nyoni (1924-1997), a Zimbabwean politician and diplomat.
People
Selestine + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Selestine as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Selestine: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Selestine?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 20 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Selestine going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 17,137,717 US residents.
Is Selestine a common name?
We classify Selestine as "Very Rare". It ranks above 39.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 41 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Selestine most popular?
The single biggest year for Selestine was 1949, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Selestine is about 79 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Selestine in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Selestine a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Selestine in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Selestine still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Selestine in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Selestine can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Selestine?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.