Serafima
A Hebrew name meaning "fiery ones, burning ones", carried into Poland through Russian. Fewer than 120 women and girls hold it here, so most Poles have never met one.
Serafima Pronunciation
Serafima is pronounced se-rah-FEE-mah (/sɛraˈfima/).
What Serafima means
Where Serafima comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Serafima comes from the Hebrew word for the seraphim, the burning ones of scripture. The root śaraf means to burn. Russian tradition gave the name a feminine shape, Serafima, standing beside the masculine Serafim worn by Saint Seraphim of Sarov, one of the most venerated monks of the Orthodox Church. The short meaning holds close to the source: fiery, burning.
The seraphim ranked highest among the angels, six-winged and set nearest the divine fire. When a person took the name, that heat read as temperament rather than a place in heaven.
The fire is old.
On a Polish class register the name looks foreign among the Zuzannas and Julias, and a teacher may pause before reading it aloud. Serafima keeps its Russian coloring and its Hebrew spark. The meaning has not cooled: burning ones.
How many people are named Serafima
1 in 196033 women in Poland is named Serafima. 115 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #3167 among female names.
Serafima's popularity over time
2 girls were given the name in 2025, ranking #1823 among newborns. It has been climbing since 2024.