At a Glance: Name: Selkie – Meaning: seal; mythical seal-folk who shed their skins to become human – Origin: Scots (not Gaelic) – Gender: Girl – Pronunciation: SEL-kee
Selkie is a Scots (not Gaelic) girl's name meaning “seal; mythical seal-folk who shed their skins to become human”. It appears in our list of 175+ Beautiful Ocean Names For Girls (with Meanings).
Meaning & Origin of Selkie
Meaning: Seal; mythical seal-folk who shed their skins to become human.
Origin: Scots (not Gaelic).
A common claim: The seal folk of Scottish and Irish legend who take human form (often labeled 'Scottish Gaelic') Actually: Often labeled 'Scottish Gaelic,' but selkie is a Scots-language word (not Gaelic), related to Old English seolh 'seal' — both are Celtic-adjacent/Scottish, but different language families.
How to Pronounce Selkie
Phonetic: SEL-kee IPA: /ˈsɛlki/
Popularity of Selkie
Selkie doesn’t appear in U.S. Social Security birth records, which include every name given to at least five babies in a year — so it’s rare in the U.S.
Lists That Include Selkie
Similar Names
Ondine · Delphine · Clover · Skye · Waverly · Crystal
