Saffron f English (Rare)From the English word that refers either to a spice, the crocus flower from which it is harvested, or the yellow-orange colour of the spice. It is derived via Old French from Arabic
زعفران (zaʿfarān), itself probably from Persian meaning "gold leaves".
Saga f Norse Mythology, Swedish, IcelandicFrom Old Norse
Sága, possibly meaning
"seeing one", derived from
sjá "to see". This is the name of a Norse goddess, possibly connected to
Frigg. As a Swedish and Icelandic name, it is also derived from the unrelated word
saga "story, fairy tale, saga".
Sage f & m English (Modern)From the English word
sage, which denotes either a type of spice or else a wise person.
Sagrario f SpanishMeans
"sanctuary, tabernacle" in Spanish, derived from Latin
sacrarium. It is taken from an epithet of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora del Sagrario, and is associated with Toledo Cathedral.
Sahak m ArmenianArmenian form of
Isaac. This was the name of a 5th-century patriarch of the Armenian Church.
Saima 2 f Finnish, EstonianFrom
Saimaa, the name of the largest lake in Finland. The etymology of the lake's name is unknown.
Sajid m ArabicMeans
"worshipping" in Arabic, a derivative of
سجد (sajada) meaning "to bow down, to prostrate".
Sakhr m ArabicMeans
"solid rock" in Arabic. This name appears in the poems of the 7th-century poetess Al-Khansa.
Saki f JapaneseFrom Japanese
咲 (sa) meaning "blossom" and
希 (ki) meaning "hope", besides other combinations of kanji characters.
Sakiko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
咲 (saki) meaning "blossom" and
子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other combinations of kanji characters.
Salacia f Roman MythologyDerived from Latin
sal meaning
"salt". This was the name of the Roman goddess of salt water.
Salah ad-Din m ArabicMeans
"righteousness of religion" from Arabic
صلاح (ṣalāḥ) meaning "righteousness" combined with
دين (dīn) meaning "religion, faith". A famous bearer of this name was the sultan Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, known in the western world as Saladin, the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty in Egypt in the 12th century. He recaptured Jerusalem from the crusaders and repelled the invaders of the Third Crusade. Salah ad-Din was an honorific; his birth name was
Yusuf.
Salem 2 f & m English (Modern)From the name of a biblical town,
שָׁלֵם (Shalem) in Hebrew, meaning
"complete, safe, peaceful". According to the Old Testament this was the town where Melchizedek was king. It is usually identified with
Jerusalem. Many places are named after the biblical town, most in America, notably a city in Massachusetts where the infamous Salem witch trials occurred in 1692.
Salome f English (Rare), German (Rare), Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekFrom an Aramaic name that was related to the Hebrew word
שָׁלוֹם (shalom) meaning
"peace". According to the historian Josephus this was the name of the daughter of
Herodias (the consort of Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee). In the New Testament, though a specific name is not given, it was a daughter of Herodias who danced for Herod and was rewarded with the head of
John the Baptist, and thus Salome and the dancer have traditionally been equated.
... [more] Salvacion f Spanish (Philippines)Filipino form of Spanish
salvación meaning
"salvation". It refers to a title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de Salvación, meaning "Our Lady of Salvation". This is the name of a statue of Mary in Joroan, the Philippines, that is associated with several miracles.
Salvador m Spanish, Portuguese, CatalanSpanish, Portuguese and Catalan form of the Late Latin name
Salvator, which meant
"saviour", referring to
Jesus. A famous bearer of this name was the Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí (1904-1989).
Salvius m Ancient RomanRoman family name derived from Latin
salvus meaning
"safe". This was the family name of the short-lived Roman emperor Otho. It was also borne by several early saints.
Sam 1 m & f EnglishShort form of
Samuel,
Samson,
Samantha and other names beginning with
Sam. A notable fictional bearer is Sam Spade, a detective in Dashiell Hammett's novel
The Maltese Falcon (1930). In J. R. R. Tolkien's 1954 novel
The Lord of the Rings (1954) this is a short form of
Samwise.
Sam 2 m Persian, Persian MythologyMeans
"fire" in Persian (from an earlier Iranian root meaning "black"). This is the name of a hero in the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh.
Samantha f English, Italian, DutchPerhaps intended to be a feminine form of
Samuel, using the name suffix
antha (possibly inspired by Greek
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower"). It originated in America in the 18th century but was fairly uncommon until 1964, when it was popularized by the main character on the television show
Bewitched.
Samara f English (Modern), Portuguese (Brazilian)Possibly derived from the name of the city of Samarra (in Iraq) or Samara (in Russia). The former appears in the title of the novel
Appointment in Samarra (1934) by John O'Hara, which refers to an ancient Babylonian legend about a man trying to evade death. Alternatively, this name could be derived from the word for the winged seeds that grow on trees such as maples and elms.
... [more] Sami 3 m Arabic, UrduMeans
"hearing, listening" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition
السميع (al-Samīʿ) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Samo m Slovene, HistoryMeaning uncertain. This was the name of a 7th-century ruler of the Slavs, who established a kingdom including parts of modern Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. He was possibly of Frankish origin.
Sampson 2 m EnglishFrom an English surname that was itself derived from a medieval form of the given name
Samson.
Samson m Biblical, English, French, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name
שִׁמְשׁוֹן (Shimshon), derived from
שֶׁמֶשׁ (shemesh) meaning "sun". Samson was an Old Testament hero granted exceptional strength by God. His mistress
Delilah betrayed him and cut his hair, stripping him of his power. Thus he was captured by the Philistines, blinded, and brought to their temple. However, in a final act of strength, he pulled down the pillars of the temple upon himself and his captors.
... [more] Samuel m English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Jewish, Amharic, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
שְׁמוּאֵל (Shemuʾel) meaning
"name of God", from the roots
שֵׁם (shem) meaning "name" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". Other interpretations have the first root being
שָׁמַע (shamaʿ) meaning "to hear" leading to a meaning of
"God has heard". As told in the Books of Samuel in the Old Testament, Samuel was the last of the ruling judges. He led the Israelites during a period of domination by the Philistines, who were ultimately defeated in battle at Mizpah. Later he anointed
Saul to be the first king of Israel, and even later anointed his successor
David.
... [more] Samwise m LiteratureMeans
"simple, half wise" from Old English
sam "half" and
wis "wise". This is the name of a hobbit in J. R. R. Tolkien's novel
The Lord of the Rings (1954). Samwise Gamgee, often called Sam, is the faithful companion of Frodo on his quest to destroy the One Ring.
Samwise is an English-like translation of his true hobbit name
Banazîr.
Sancho m Spanish, PortuguesePossibly a Spanish and Portuguese form of the Late Latin name
Sanctius, which was derived from the word
sanctus meaning
"saintly, holy". Alternatively,
Sancho and
Sanctius may be derived from an older Iberian name. This was the name of a 9th-century saint who was martyred by the Moors at Córdoba. It was also borne by several Spanish and Portuguese kings. Miguel de Cervantes used it in his novel
Don Quixote (1605), where it belongs to the squire of Don Quixote.
Sandalio m SpanishSpanish form of
Sandalius, possibly a Latinized form of a Gothic name composed of the elements
swinþs "strong" and
wulfs "wolf". It also nearly coincides with Latin
sandalium "sandal". This was the name of a 9th-century Spanish saint martyred by the Moors.
Sandeep m Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, NepaliAlternate transcription of Hindi/Marathi
संदीप, Bengali
সন্দীপ, Gurmukhi
ਸੰਦੀਪ, Gujarati
સંદિપ, Kannada
ಸಂದೀಪ್, Malayalam
സന്ദീപ്, Telugu
సందీప్, Tamil
சந்தீப் or Nepali
सन्दीप (see
Sandip).
Sandra f Italian, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Czech, RomanianShort form of
Alessandra. It was introduced to the English-speaking world (where it is usually used independently of
Alexandra) by author George Meredith, who used it for the heroine in his novel
Emilia in England (1864) and the reissued version
Sandra Belloni (1887). A famous bearer is the American actress Sandra Bullock (1964-).
Sandro m Italian, GeorgianShort form of
Alessandro (Italian) or
Aleksandre (Georgian). Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) was an Italian Renaissance artist, the painter of
The Birth of Venus and other famous works.
Sani 1 m ArabicMeans
"brilliant, splendid" in Arabic, a derivative of
سنا (sanā) meaning "to gleam, to shine".
Sani 2 m HausaFrom Arabic
ثانٍ (thānin) meaning
"second", a derivative of
اثنان (ithnān) meaning "two". If two or more siblings share the same given name, this name may be appended to that of the second.
Sanjar m Uzbek, Medieval TurkicTurkic name meaning
"he who pierces, he who thrusts". Ahmad Sanjar was an 11th-century sultan of the Seljuq Empire.
Sanjaya m HinduismMeans
"completely victorious, triumphant" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a royal official in the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata.
Sansa f LiteratureInvented by the author George R. R. Martin for the character of Sansa Stark in his series
A Song of Ice and Fire, published beginning 1996, and the television adaptation
Game of Thrones (2011-2019).
Santana f & m Spanish (Latin American), Portuguese (Brazilian), English (Modern)From a contraction of
Santa Ana (referring to Saint
Anna) or from a Spanish and Portuguese surname derived from any of the numerous places named for the saint. It can be given in honour of the Mexican-American musician Carlos Santana (1947-), the founder of the band Santana. The name received a boost in popularity for American girls after the character Santana Andrade began appearing on the soap opera
Santa Barbara in 1984.
Santiago m Spanish, PortugueseMeans
"Saint James", derived from Spanish
santo "saint" combined with
Yago, an old Spanish form of
James, the patron saint of Spain. It is the name of the main character in the novella
The Old Man and the Sea (1951) by Ernest Hemingway. This also is the name of the capital city of Chile, as well as several other cities in the Spanish-speaking world.
Sao f Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
σῶς (sos) meaning
"whole, unwounded, safe". This was the name of one of the Nereids in Greek mythology. A small moon of Neptune is named for her.
Sara f Hebrew, Greek, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, Catalan, Galician, Romanian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian, Macedonian, Polish, English, Arabic, Persian, Amharic, Tigrinya, Biblical Hebrew, Biblical LatinForm of
Sarah used in various languages.
Sarah f English, French, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Hebrew, Arabic, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
שָׂרָה (Sara) meaning
"lady, princess, noblewoman". In the Old Testament this is the name of
Abraham's wife, considered the matriarch of the Jewish people. She was barren until she unexpectedly became pregnant with
Isaac at the age of 90. Her name was originally
Sarai, but God changed it at the same time Abraham's name was changed (see
Genesis 17:15).
... [more] Saraid f Irish, Irish MythologyFrom Old Irish
Sárait, derived from
sár meaning
"excellent". This was the name of a daughter of the legendary high king of Ireland, Conn of the Hundred Battles.
Saramama f Inca MythologyMeans
"corn mother" in Quechua, from
sara "corn, maize" and
mama "mother". This was the name of the Inca goddess of grain.
Saraswati f Hinduism, Hindi, MarathiMeans
"possessing water" from Sanskrit
सरस् (saras) meaning "fluid, water, lake" and
वती (vatī) meaning "having". This is the name of a Hindu river goddess, also associated with learning and the arts, who is the wife of
Brahma. She appears in the Vedas.
Sarava m Various (Rare)From a phrase used by members of the Candomblé religion (an African religion that was taken to Brazil by African slaves), which means
"good luck".
Sargon m Akkadian (Anglicized), Biblical, Biblical HebrewFrom the Hebrew form
סַרְגּוֹן (Sargon) of the Akkadian name
Sharru-ukin, from
šarru meaning "king" and
kīnu meaning "legitimate, true". This was the name of the first king of the Akkadian Empire, beginning in the 24th century BC. It was also borne by the 8th-century BC Assyrian king Sargon II, who appears briefly in the Old Testament. The usual English spelling of the name is based on this biblical mention, applied retroactively to the earlier king.
Sarika f Hindi, MarathiFrom a Sanskrit word referring to a type of thrush (species Turdus salica) or myna bird (species Gracula religiosa).
Sarolt f Hungarian (Rare)From the Old Hungarian name
Saroldu, probably of Turkic origin meaning
"white weasel, ermine". This was the wife of the 10th-century Hungarian grand prince
Géza.
Sarpedon m Greek MythologyMeaning unknown. In Greek legend Sarpedon was the son of
Zeus and Laodamia, and the king of the Lycians. He was one of the chief warriors who fought against the Greeks in defence of Troy, but he was killed by
Patroclus. Another Sarpedon was the son of Zeus and
Europa.
Saskia f Dutch, GermanFrom the Old German element
sahso meaning
"a Saxon". The Saxons were a Germanic tribe, their name ultimately deriving from the Germanic word *
sahsą meaning "knife". Saskia van Uylenburgh (1612-1642) was the wife of the Dutch painter Rembrandt.
Satan m Theology, Biblical, Biblical HebrewDerived from Hebrew
שָׂטָן (saṭan) meaning
"adversary". This is the Hebrew name of the enemy of the Judeo-Christian god. In the New Testament he is also known by the title
Devil (
Diabolos in Greek).
Sati f HinduismFrom Sanskrit
सत् (sat) meaning
"true, virtuous". This is the name of a Hindu goddess, the first wife of
Shiva. A daughter of King
Daksha, she threw herself onto a fire when her husband was insulted by her father. After her death she was eventually reborn as the goddess
Parvati.
Satisha m HinduismMeans
"lord of Sati" from the name of the Hindu goddess
Sati combined with
ईश (īśa) meaning "ruler". This is another name of the Hindu god
Shiva.
Saturn m Roman Mythology (Anglicized)From the Latin
Saturnus, which is of unknown meaning. In Roman mythology he was the father of
Jupiter,
Juno and others, and was also the god of agriculture. This is also the name of the ringed sixth planet in the solar system.
Saturninus m Ancient RomanRoman cognomen derived from the name of the Roman god
Saturnus (see
Saturn). This was the name of several early saints.
Saul m Biblical, Jewish, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name
שָׁאוּל (Shaʾul) meaning
"asked for, prayed for". This was the name of the first king of Israel, as told in the Old Testament. Before the end of his reign he lost favour with God, and after a defeat by the Philistines he was succeeded by
David as king. In the New Testament, Saul was the original Hebrew name of the apostle
Paul.
Sauron m LiteratureMeans
"abhorred" in the fictional language Quenya. Sauron is a powerful evil being in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels, serving as the main antagonist in
The Lord of the Rings (1954). During the novels he appears as a disembodied lidless eye, though in earlier times he took on other forms.
Saveliy m RussianRussian form of the Latin name
Sabellius meaning
"a Sabine". The Sabines were an ancient people who lived in central Italy.
Savitr m HinduismMeans
"rouser, stimulator" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a Vedic Hindu sun god, sometimes identified with
Surya.
Savitri f Hinduism, Hindi, MarathiMeans
"of the sun" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a hymn in the
Rigveda dedicated to
Savitr, a sun god. This is also the name of Savitr's daughter, a wife of
Brahma, considered an aspect of
Saraswati. In the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata it is borne by King Satyavan's wife, who successfully pleas with
Yama, the god of death, to restore her husband to life.
Sawda f ArabicMeans
"black" in Arabic. This was the name of a wife of the Prophet
Muhammad. She was said to have lived for a time in Abyssinia (modern Ethiopia and Eritrea).
Sawyer m & f English (Modern)From an English surname meaning
"sawer of wood". Mark Twain used it for the hero in his novel
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).
... [more] Saxon m English (Rare)From an English surname that was derived from the name of the Germanic tribe the Saxons, ultimately deriving from the Germanic word *
sahsą meaning "knife". This name can also be given in direct reference to the tribe.
Sayaka f JapaneseFrom Japanese
沙 (sa) meaning "sand" or
紗 (sa) meaning "thread, silk" with
也 (ya) meaning "also" or
耶 (ya), an interjection, combined with
香 (ka) meaning "fragrance" or
加 (ka) meaning "increase". This name can also be composed of other kanji combinations. It is often written using the hiragana writing system.
Sayen f MapucheMeaning uncertain, possibly a derivative of Mapuche
ayün "love".
Sayuri f JapaneseFrom Japanese
小 (sa) meaning "small" and
百合 (yuri) meaning "lily". This name can also be composed of other kanji combinations.