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.
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.
Sayyid m ArabicMeans
"lord, master" in Arabic. A famous bearer was the Egyptian musician Sayyid Darwish (1892-1923).
Scevola m Italian (Rare)Italian form of the Roman cognomen
Scaevola, which was derived from Latin
scaevus "left-handed". The first bearer of this name was Gaius Mucius Scaevola, who acquired it, according to legend, after he thrust his right hand into a blazing fire in order to intimidate the Etruscan king Porsenna, who was blockading the city of Rome.
Schuyler m & f EnglishFrom a Dutch surname meaning
"scholar". Dutch settlers brought the surname to America, where it was subsequently adopted as a given name in honour of the American general and senator Philip Schuyler (1733-1804).
Scipio m Ancient RomanRoman cognomen derived from Latin
scipio meaning
"staff, walking stick". A famous bearer was the 3rd-century Roman general Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, usually called only Scipio Africanus, notable for his victories during the Second Punic War.
Scorpio m AstronomyMeans
"scorpion" in Latin, from Greek
σκορπίος (skorpios). This is the name of the eighth sign of the zodiac, associated with the constellation
Scorpius.
Scorpius m AstronomyFrom a Latin variant of
Scorpio. This is the name of a zodiacal constellation said to have the shape of a scorpion. According to Greek and Roman legend it was the monster that was sent to kill
Orion.
Scott m English, ScottishFrom an English and Scottish surname that referred to a person from Scotland or a person who spoke Scottish Gaelic. It is derived from Latin
Scoti meaning "Gael, Gaelic speaker", with the ultimate origin uncertain.
Scout f & m English (Modern)From the English word
scout meaning
"one who gathers information covertly", which is derived from Old French
escouter "to listen". Harper Lee used this name in her novel
To Kill a Mockingbird (1960).
Séaghdha m Irish (Rare)From Old Irish
Ségdae, probably derived from
ségda meaning
"fine, good, favourable, learned". According to an Irish legend this was the name of a boy who was set to be sacrificed but was saved by his mother.
Seán m IrishIrish form of
John, derived via the Old French form
Jehan.
Sean m Irish, EnglishAnglicized form of
Seán. This name name, along with variants
Shawn and
Shaun, began to be be used in the English-speaking world outside of Ireland around the middle of the 20th century.
Sebastian m German, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Finnish, Romanian, CzechFrom the Latin name
Sebastianus, which meant
"from Sebaste". Sebaste was the name a town in Asia Minor, its name deriving from Greek
σεβαστός (sebastos) meaning "venerable" (a translation of Latin
Augustus, the title of the Roman emperors). According to Christian tradition, Saint Sebastian was a 3rd-century Roman soldier martyred during the persecutions of the emperor Diocletian. After he was discovered to be a Christian, he was tied to a stake and shot with arrows. This however did not kill him. Saint Irene of Rome healed him and he returned to personally admonish Diocletian, whereupon the emperor had him beaten to death.
... [more] Secundinus m Ancient RomanRoman family name derived from the praenomen
Secundus. Saint Secundinus, also known as Seachnall, was a 5th-century assistant to Saint
Patrick who became the first bishop of Dunshaughlin.
Secundus m Ancient RomanRoman praenomen, or given name, which meant
"second" in Latin. This name was borne by a few early saints, including a 2nd-century martyr from Asti, Italy.
Sefton m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"town in the rushes" in Old English.
Selby m & f English (Rare)From an English surname that was from a place name meaning
"willow farm" in Old Norse.
Selçuk m TurkishPossibly derived from a diminutive form of the Turkic root
sil meaning
"clean, pure". Selçuk was the eponymous leader of the Seljuk Turks, who established the Seljuk Empire in the Middle East in the 11th century.
Seleucus m Ancient Greek (Latinized)Latinized form of the Greek name
Σέλευκος (Seleukos), of unknown meaning. It is possibly related to
λευκός (leukos) meaning "bright, white". This was the name of one of Alexander the Great's generals, who established the Seleucid Empire in western Asia after Alexander's death.
Selim m Turkish, AlbanianTurkish and Albanian form of
Salim. This was the name of three Ottoman sultans, including the father of Süleyman the Magnificent.
Selwyn m English (Rare)From a surname that was originally derived from an Old English given name, which was formed of the elements
sele "manor" and
wine "friend".
Senán m Irish, Old IrishMeans
"little old one", derived from Old Irish
sen "old" combined with a diminutive suffix. Saint Senán was a 6th-century monk who founded the monastery on Inis Cathaigh.
Seneca m Ancient RomanFrom a Roman cognomen derived from Latin
senectus meaning
"old". This was the name of both a Roman orator (born in Spain) and also of his son, a philosopher and statesman.
... [more] Şener m TurkishFrom Turkish
şen meaning "happy" and
er meaning "man, hero, brave".
Sengphet f & m LaoFrom Lao
ແສງ (saeng) meaning "light" and
ເພັດ (phet) meaning "diamond, gem".
Senna f & m Dutch (Modern)Meaning uncertain. In some cases it is given in honour of the Brazilian racecar driver Ayrton Senna (1960-1994). It could also be inspired by the senna plant.
Şenol m & f TurkishMeans
"be happy", from Turkish
şen "happy".
Seo-Jun m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
瑞 (seo) meaning "felicitous omen, auspicious" or
舒 (seo) meaning "open up, unfold, comfortable, easy" combined with
俊 (jun) meaning "talented, handsome". This name can also be formed from other character combinations.
Seok m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
石 (seok) meaning "stone" or
錫 (seok) meaning "tin", as well as other characters that are pronounced the same way. Although it does appear rarely as a single-character name, it is more often used in combination with another character.
Seok-Jin m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
碩 (seok) meaning "large, great" and
珍 (jin) meaning "precious, rare". Other hanja characters can form this name as well.
Seon f & m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
善 (seon) meaning "good, virtuous" or
宣 (seon) meaning "declare, announce", as well as other hanja characters with the same pronunciation. It usually occurs in combination with another character, though it is sometimes used as a stand-alone name.
Seong m & f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
成 (seong) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded", as well as other hanja characters with the same pronunciation. Although it does appear as a single-character name, it is more often used in combination with another character.
Seong-Ho m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
成 (seong) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" or
盛 (seong) meaning "abundant, flourishing" combined with
鎬 (ho) meaning "stove, bright" or
晧 (ho) meaning "daybreak, bright". Many other hanja character combinations are possible.
Seong-Hun m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
成 (seong) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" combined with
勛 (hun) meaning "meritorious deed, rank". Other hanja character combinations can form this name as well.
Seong-Hyeon m & f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
成 (seong) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" combined with
鉉 (hyeon), which refers to a device used to lift a tripod cauldron. Other hanja character combinations are possible.
Seong-Jin m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
成 (seong) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" or
星 (seong) meaning "star, planet" combined with
鎭 (jin) meaning "town, marketplace" or
震 (jin) meaning "shake, tremor, excite". Other hanja character combinations are also possible.
Seong-Min m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
成 (seong) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" or
性 (seong) meaning "nature, character, sex" combined with
敏 (min) meaning "quick, clever, sharp" or
旻 (min) meaning "quick, clever, sharp". Many other hanja character combinations are possible.
Seong-Su m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
成 (seong) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" or
聖 (seong) meaning "holy, sacred" combined with
洙 (su), which refers to a river in China. Many other hanja character combinations are possible.
Seon-U m & f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
善 (seon) meaning "good, virtuous" or
宣 (seon) meaning "declare, announce" combined with
宇 (u) meaning "house, universe" or
佑 (u) meaning "help, protect, bliss". This name can be formed by many other hanja character combinations as well.
Septimius m Ancient RomanRoman family name that was derived from
Septimus. Septimius Severus was an early 3rd-century Roman emperor. This was also the name of a 4th-century saint and martyr.
Sequoia f & m English (Rare)From the name of huge trees that grow in California. The tree got its name from the 19th-century Cherokee scholar
Sequoyah (also known as George Guess), the inventor of the Cherokee writing system.
Sequoyah m CherokeeProbably derived from Cherokee
ᏏᏆ (siqua) meaning
"hog". This was the name of the Cherokee man (also known as George Guess) who devised the Cherokee writing system in the 19th century.
Seraiah m BiblicalMeans
"Yahweh is ruler" in Hebrew, from
שָׂרָה (sara) meaning "to have power" and
יָהּ (yah) referring to the Hebrew God. This is the name of several minor characters in the Old Testament, including the father of
Ezra.
Serapion m Ancient GreekFrom the name of the Greco-Egyptian god
Serapis. Saint Serapion was a 3rd-century patriarch of Antioch. This was also the name of a 13th-century saint, a Mercedarian friar who was martyred by pirates.
Serapis m Egyptian Mythology (Hellenized)From a compound of
Asar, the Egyptian form of
Osiris, and
Apis, the sacred bull of the Egyptians. This was the name of a syncretic Greco-Egyptian god, apparently promoted by Ptolemy I Soter in the 3rd-century BC in an attempt to unite the native Egyptians and the Greeks in the Ptolemaic Kingdom.
Sergius m Ancient RomanRoman family name, possibly meaning
"servant" in Latin but most likely of unknown Etruscan origin. Saint Sergius was a 4th-century Roman officer who was martyred in Syria with his companion Bacchus. They are the patron saints of Christian desert nomads. Another saint by this name (in the Russian form
Sergey) was a 14th-century Russian spiritual leader. The name was also borne by four popes.
Serhan m TurkishDerived from Turkish
ser meaning "head, top" and
han, which is from the title
khan meaning "leader".
Serkan m TurkishMeans
"leader, chief" from Turkish
ser "head, top" and
kan "blood".
Servaas m Dutch (Rare)Dutch form of the Late Latin name
Servatius, derived from
servatus "saved, redeemed". This was the name of a 4th-century saint who helped spread Christianity to the Low Countries.
Seth 2 m Egyptian Mythology (Hellenized)From
Σήθ (Seth), the Greek form of Egyptian
swtẖ or
stẖ (reconstructed as
Sutekh), which is of unknown meaning. Seth was the Egyptian god of chaos and the desert, the slayer of
Osiris. Osiris's son
Horus eventually defeats Seth and has him banished to the desert.
Seti m Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
stẖj meaning
"of Seth 2". This was the name of two pharaohs of the 19th dynasty (13th century BC).
Setiawan m IndonesianFrom Indonesian
setia meaning
"loyal, true", ultimately from Sanskrit
सत्य (satya), combined with the masculine suffix
-wan.
Seung m & f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
昇 (seung) meaning "rise, ascend",
勝 (seung) meaning "victory" or
承 (seung) meaning "inherit", as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Sevan f & m ArmenianFrom the name of the largest lake in Armenia, which may be from the Urartian word
suinia simply meaning "lake".
Seven m & f English (Modern)From the English word for the number, derived from Old English
seofon (from an Indo-European root shared by Latin
septem and Greek
ἑπτά (hepta)).
Severinus m Ancient RomanRoman family name that was derived from
Severus. Severinus was the name of many early saints, including a 6th-century Roman philosopher martyred by the Ostrogothic king Theodoric. It was also borne by a pope.
Severus m Ancient RomanRoman family name meaning
"stern" in Latin. This name was borne by several early saints including a 6th-century patriarch of Antioch.
Sextus m Ancient RomanRoman praenomen, or given name, meaning
"sixth" in Latin. It was traditionally given to the sixth child.
Seymour m EnglishFrom a Norman surname that originally belonged to a person coming from the French town of Saint Maur (which means "Saint
Maurus").
Sganyodaiyo m SenecaMeans
"handsome lake" in Seneca, from
sganyodeo "lake" and the suffix
-iyo "good". This name was borne by an 18th-century Seneca prophet.
Shaban m Arabic, AlbanianFrom the name of the eighth month of the Islamic calendar. It is derived from Arabic
شعب (shaʿaba) meaning "scatter".
Shadrach m BiblicalMeans
"command of Aku" in Akkadian,
Aku being the name of the Babylonian god of the moon. In the Old Testament Shadrach is the Babylonian name of
Hananiah, one of the three men cast into a fiery furnace but saved by God.
Shafaqat m & f ArabicMeans
"compassion, pity" in Arabic, a derivative of
شفق (shafaqa) meaning "to pity, to sympathize".
Shahid m Arabic, UrduMeans
"witness" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition
الشاهد (al-Shāhid) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Shahin m Persian, Arabic, BengaliMeans
"falcon" in Persian, referring more specifically to the Barbary falcon (species Falco pelegrinoides). The bird's name is a derivative of Persian
شاه (shāh) meaning "king".
Shahjahan m UrduMeans
"king of the world" from Persian
شاه (shāh) meaning "king" and
جهان (jahān) meaning "world". This was the name of the 17th-century Mughal emperor who built the Taj Mahal.
Shahrivar m Persian MythologyPersian form of Avestan
𐬑𐬱𐬀𐬚𐬭𐬀⸱𐬬𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌𐬌𐬀 (Xshathra Vairiia) meaning
"desirable power". In Zoroastrianism this was the name of a god (one of the Amesha Spenta) associated with the creation of metals. The sixth month of the Iranian calendar is named for him.
Shahrokh m PersianMeans
"royal face" in Persian, from
شاه (shāh) meaning "king" and
رخ (rokh) meaning "face". This was the name of a 15th-century ruler of the Timurid Empire (a son of
Timur).
Shahrukh m Urdu, HindiUrdu and Hindi form of
Shahrokh. A notable bearer is the Indian actor Shahrukh Khan (1965-), normally called Shah Rukh Khan.
Shai m & f HebrewEither from Hebrew
שַׁי (shai) meaning
"gift" or else a Hebrew diminutive of
Isaiah.
Shaka m HistoryFrom Zulu
uShaka, apparently from
ishaka, a stomach cramp caused by an intestinal parasite. This was the name of a Zulu warrior king (1787-1828), supposedly given because his unmarried mother Nandi and/or his father Senzangakhona blamed her pregnancy symptoms on the parasite.
Shakti f & m Hinduism, HindiMeans
"power" in Sanskrit. In Hinduism a shakti is the female counterpart of a god. The name Shakti is used in particular to refer to the female counterpart of
Shiva, also known as
Parvati among many other names.
Shakur m ArabicMeans
"thankful" in Arabic, from the root
شكر (shakara) meaning "to thank". In Islamic tradition
الشكور (al-Shakūr) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Shalim m Semitic MythologyFrom the Semitic root
šlm meaning
"peace". This was the name of an Ugaritic god associated with the evening.
Shalva m GeorgianMeaning unknown. This was the name of a 13th-century Georgian hero, considered a saint in the Georgian Church.
Shams ad-Din m ArabicMeans
"sun of the religion", from Arabic
شمس (shams) meaning "sun" and
دين (dīn) meaning "religion, faith". This was the given name of the 14th-century Berber explorer Ibn Battuta.
Shane m Irish, EnglishAnglicized form of
Seán. It came into general use in America after the release of the western movie
Shane (1953).
Shani 2 m HinduismFrom the Sanskrit name of the planet Saturn, probably derived from a root meaning "slow-moving". This is the name of a Hindu god who presides over the planet Saturn. He is a son of
Surya.
Shankara m HinduismDerived from the Sanskrit elements
शम् (śam) meaning "auspicious, lucky" and
कर (kara) meaning "maker". This is another name of the Hindu gods
Rudra or
Shiva. This was also the name of a 9th-century Indian religious philosopher also known as Shankaracharya.
Shannon f & m EnglishFrom the name of the River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland, called
an tSionainn in Irish. It is associated with the legendary figure
Sionann and is sometimes said to be named for her. However it is more likely she was named after the river, which may be related to Old Irish
sen "old, ancient". As a given name, it first became common in America after the 1940s.
Shapur m History, PersianFrom Middle Persian
𐭱𐭧𐭯𐭥𐭧𐭥𐭩 (Shahpuhr) meaning
"son of the king". This was the name of three Sasanian emperors.
Sharia m Arabic (Rare)Means
"divine law, noble law" in Arabic, from the root
شرع (sharaʿa) meaning "to go, to enact".
Sharon f & m English, HebrewFrom an Old Testament place name, in Hebrew
שָׁרוֹן (Sharon) meaning
"plain", referring to a fertile plain on the central west coast of Israel. This is also the name of a flowering plant in the Bible, the rose of Sharon, a term now used to refer to several different species of flowers.
... [more] Shashi m & f Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada, TeluguTraditional name for the moon, it literally means "having a hare" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form
शशि and the feminine form
शशी (spelled with a long final vowel).
Shaun m EnglishAnglicized form of
Seán. This is the more common spelling in the United Kingdom and Australia, while
Shawn is preferred in the United States and Canada (though it got a boost in America after the singer Shaun Cassidy released his debut album in 1976).
Shaw m English (Rare)From a surname. As an English surname it is derived from Old English
sceaga meaning
"thicket". As a Scottish surname it is derived from the Gaelic byname
Sitheach meaning
"wolf".
Shawn m & f EnglishAnglicized form of
Seán, occasionally used as a feminine form. This is the most common spelling of this name in the United States and Canada, with
Shaun being more typical in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Shealtiel m BiblicalMeans
"I have asked of God" in Hebrew, from the roots
שָׁאַל (shaʾal) meaning "to ask" and
אֵל (ʾel) meaning "God". According to the Old Testament this was the name of the father of Zerubbabel. It was also borne by a son of King
Jeconiah of Judah (he is called
Salathiel in some translations).
Sheard m English (Rare)From a surname that was originally from a place name meaning
"gap between hills" in Old English.
Sheba m BiblicalProbably from the name of the Sabaean people, who had a kingdom in the southern Arabian Peninsula and eastern Ethiopia.
Sheba is a place name in the Old Testament, famous as the home of the Queen of Sheba, who visited King
Solomon after hearing of his wisdom. This name is also borne by several male characters in the Bible.
Shehu m HausaFrom Arabic
شيخ (shaykh) meaning
"elder, chief, sheikh", a title of Usman dan Fodio (1754-1817), the founder of the Sokoto Caliphate.