Shō m JapaneseFrom Japanese
翔 (shō) meaning "soar, glide" or
奨 (shō) meaning "prize, reward" or
祥 (shō) meaning "good luck, good omen". Other kanji with identical pronunciations can also form this name.
Shōhei m JapaneseFrom Japanese
翔 (shō) meaning "soar, glide" and
平 (hei) meaning "level, even, peaceful", in addition to other combinations of kanji that are pronounced the same way.
Shōji m JapaneseFrom Japanese
昌 (shō) meaning "flourish, prosper, good" or
昭 (shō) meaning "bright, luminous" combined with
二 (ji) meaning "two". Other combinations of kanji with the same pronunciation can also form this name.
Sholpan f KazakhMeans
"Venus (the planet)" in Kazakh. Sholpan and
Aiman are sisters in a 19th-century Kazakh epic poem, adapted into the play
Aiman-Sholpan (1934) by Mukhtar Auezov.
Sholto m ScottishProbably an Anglicized form of Gaelic
sìoltaich meaning
"sower, propagator". It has occasionally been used in the Douglas family since the 17th century, after David Hume of Godscroft claimed it was the name of the 7th-century founder of the clan.
Shōta m JapaneseFrom Japanese
翔 (shō) meaning "soar, glide" and
太 (ta) meaning "thick, big, great". Other combinations of kanji are also possible.
Shpëtim m AlbanianFrom Albanian
shpëtim meaning
"rescue, relief, salvation".
Shqipe f AlbanianFrom Albanian
shqip meaning
"Albanian". Additionally, the word
shqipe means
"eagle" in modern Albanian, a variant of older
shkabë. These interrelated words are often the subject of competing claims that the one is derived from the other. The ultimate origin of
shqip "Albanian" is uncertain, but it may be from
shqipoj meaning "to say clearly".
Shrek m Popular CultureDerived from German
Schreck or Yiddish
שרעק (rek) meaning
"fright". This is the name of a large green ogre in the animated movie
Shrek (2001) and its sequels.
Shri f HinduismMeans
"diffusing light, radiance, beauty" in Sanskrit, a word used as a title of respect in India. This is another name of the Hindu goddess
Lakshmi.
Shripati m HinduismMeans
"husband of Shri" from the name of the Hindu goddess
Shri combined with Sanskrit
पति (pati) meaning "husband, lord". This is another name of the Hindu god
Vishnu.
Shu f ChineseFrom Chinese
淑 (shū) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming", besides other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Shufen f ChineseFrom Chinese
淑 (shū) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming" combined with
芬 (fēn) meaning "fragrance, aroma, perfume". Other character combinations are possible as well.
Shui m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
水 (shuǐ) meaning "water", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.
Shukra m HinduismFrom Sanskrit
शुक्र (śukra) meaning
"clear, bright". This is the name of a Hindu god who presides over the planet Venus.
Shulmanu m Semitic MythologyPossibly cognate with the Western Semitic god
Shalim. Shulmanu was an Eastern Semitic (Mesopotamian) god associated with battle.
Shun 1 f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
顺 (shùn) meaning "obey, submit" or other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Shun 2 f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
駿 (shun) meaning "fast",
俊 (shun) meaning "talented", or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.
Siavash m Persian, Persian MythologyPersian form of Avestan
𐬯𐬌𐬌𐬁𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭𐬱𐬀𐬥 (Siiāuuarshan) meaning
"possessing black stallions". This was the name of a virtuous prince in Iranian mythology. He appears briefly in the
Avesta, with a longer account recorded in the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh.
Sibyl f EnglishFrom Greek
Σίβυλλα (Sibylla), meaning
"prophetess, sibyl". In Greek and Roman legend the sibyls were female prophets who practiced at different holy sites in the ancient world. In later Christian theology, the sibyls were thought to have divine knowledge and were revered in much the same way as the Old Testament prophets. Because of this, the name came into general use in the Christian world during the Middle Ages. The Normans imported it to England, where it was spelled both
Sibyl and
Sybil. It became rare after the Protestant Reformation, but it was revived in the 19th century, perhaps helped by Benjamin Disraeli's novel
Sybil (1845).
Siddhi f MarathiMeans
"accomplishment, success, attainment" in Sanskrit, referring to spiritual or psychic powers attained through meditation or yoga.
Sidney m & f EnglishFrom the English surname
Sidney. It was first used as a given name in honour of executed politician Algernon Sidney (1622-1683). Another notable bearer of the surname was the poet and statesman Philip Sidney (1554-1586).
... [more] Sidonius m Late RomanLatin name meaning
"of Sidon". Sidon was an ancient Phoenician city corresponding to modern-day Saida in Lebanon. This name was borne by the 5th-century saint Sidonius Apollinaris, a 5th-century bishop of Clermont.
Siegbert m GermanDerived from the Old German elements
sigu "victory" and
beraht "bright". This was the name of several Frankish kings, including the 7th-century Sigebert III of Austrasia who is regarded as a saint.
Siegfried m German, Germanic MythologyDerived from the Old German elements
sigu "victory" and
fridu "peace". Siegfried was a hero from German legend, the chief character in the
Nibelungenlied. He secretly helped the Burgundian king
Gunther overcome the challenges set out by the Icelandic queen
Brunhild so that Gunther might win her hand. In exchange, Gunther consented to the marriage of Siegfried and his sister
Kriemhild. Years later, after a dispute between Brunhild and Kriemhild, Siegfried was murdered by
Hagen with Gunther's consent. He was stabbed in his one vulnerable spot on the small of his back, which had been covered by a leaf while he bathed in dragon's blood. He is a parallel to the Norse hero
Sigurd. The story was later adapted by Richard Wagner to form part of his opera
The Ring of the Nibelung (1876).
Sienna f English (Modern)From the English word meaning
"orange-red". It is ultimately from the name of the city of Siena in Italy, because of the colour of the clay there.
Sierra f English (Modern)Means
"mountain range" in Spanish, referring specifically to a mountain range with jagged peaks.
Siet m Frisian (Archaic)Meaning uncertain, perhaps originally a short form of names beginning with the Old German element
sigu meaning
"victory".
Sigeberht m Anglo-SaxonMeans
"bright victory", derived from Old English
sige "victory" and
beorht "bright" (a cognate of
Siegbert). This was the name of a king of Wessex. The name fell out of use after the Norman Conquest.
Sigmund m German, Norwegian, English, Norse MythologyDerived from the Old German elements
sigu "victory" and
munt "protection" (or in the case of the Scandinavian cognate, from Old Norse
sigr and
mundr). An early variant of this name was
Sigismund, borne by a 6th-century saint and king of the Burgundians. In the Norse
Völsungasaga Sigmund is the hero
Sigurd's father, the bearer of the powerful sword Gram. A notable bearer was the Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), the creator of the revolutionary theory of psychoanalysis.
Sigurd m Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Norse MythologyFrom the Old Norse name
Sigurðr, which was derived from the elements
sigr "victory" and
vǫrðr "guard, guardian". Sigurd was the hero of the Norse epic the
Völsungasaga, which tells how his foster father Regin sent him to recover a hoard of gold guarded by the dragon Fafnir. After slaying the dragon Sigurd tasted some of its blood, enabling him to understand the language of birds, who told him that Regin was planning to betray him. In a later adventure, Sigurd disguised himself as
Gunnar (his wife
Gudrun's brother) and rescued the maiden
Brynhildr from a ring of fire, with the result that Gunnar and Brynhildr were married. When the truth eventually came out, Brynhildr took revenge upon Sigurd. The stories of the German hero
Siegfried were in part based on him.
Sikke m FrisianOriginally a short form of names beginning with the Old German element
sigu meaning
"victory".
Silver m & f English (Rare)From the English word for the precious metal or the colour, ultimately derived from Old English
seolfor.
Silvester m Slovak, Slovene, Serbian, German, English, Late RomanFrom a Latin name meaning
"wooded, wild", derived from
silva "wood, forest". This was the name of three popes, including Saint Silvester I who supposedly baptized the first Christian Roman emperor,
Constantine the Great. As an English name,
Silvester (or
Sylvester) has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it became less common after the Protestant Reformation.
Silvinus m Ancient RomanRoman cognomen that was a variant of
Silvanus. This name was borne by an 8th-century saint who evangelized in northern France.
Silvius m Late Roman, Roman MythologyDerived from Latin
silva meaning
"wood, forest". This was the family name of several of the legendary kings of Alba Longa. It was also the name of an early saint martyred in Alexandria.
Simay f TurkishMeans
"silver moon" in Turkish, from
sim meaning "silver, glitter" and
ay meaning "moon".
Simba 2 m SwahiliMeans
"lion" in Swahili. This is the name of the main character in the Disney movie
The Lion King (1994), about a lion cub who exiles himself after his father is murdered.
Simiyu m LuhyaMeans
"born during the dry season" in Luhya.
Simon 1 m English, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Hungarian, Slovene, Romanian, Macedonian, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekFrom
Σίμων (Simon), the New Testament Greek form of the Hebrew name
שִׁמְעוֹן (Shimʿon) meaning
"hearing, listening", derived from
שָׁמַע (shamaʿ) meaning "to hear, to listen". This name is spelled
Simeon, based on Greek
Συμεών, in many translations of the Old Testament, where it is borne by the second son of
Jacob. The New Testament spelling may show influence from the otherwise unrelated Greek name
Simon 2.
... [more] Simon 2 m Ancient Greek, Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
σιμός (simos) meaning
"flat-nosed". According to Greek mythology this was the name of one of the Telchines, demigods who were the original inhabitants of Rhodes.
Simonides m Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
σιμός (simos) meaning "flat-nosed" and the patronymic suffix
ἴδης (ides). This name was borne by the 7th-century BC iambic poet Simonides of Amorgos and the 6th-century BC lyric poet Simonides of Ceos.
Sin m Semitic MythologyFrom earlier Akkadian
Su'en, of unknown meaning. This was the name of the Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian god of the moon. He was closely identified with the Sumerian god
Nanna.
Sinclair m & f English (Rare)From a Scottish surname that was derived from a Norman French town called "Saint
Clair". A notable bearer was the American author Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951).
Sindri m Norse Mythology, Old Norse, IcelandicMeans
"sparkle" in Old Norse. In Norse mythology this was the name of a dwarf, also named Eitri. With his brother
Brokkr he made several magical items for the gods, including
Odin's ring Draupnir and
Thor's hammer Mjölnir.
Singh m Indian (Sikh)From Sanskrit
सिंह (siṃha) meaning
"lion". In 1699 Guru Gobind Singh gave all his male Sikh followers the surname
Singh, and it is now a very common surname or a middle name. The female equivalent is
Kaur.
Sini f FinnishMeans
"blue" in Finnish. More specifically,
sini is a poetic term for the colour blue.
Síofra f IrishMeans
"elf, sprite" in Irish. This name was created in the 20th century.
Sirius m AstronomyThe name of a bright star in the constellation Canis Major, derived via Latin from Greek
σείριος (seirios) meaning
"burning".
Sirje f EstonianPossibly from Estonian
sinisirje meaning
"blue-feathered", a word associated with a magical bird in the Estonian national epic
Kalevipoeg (1857) by Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald. Apparently this name was suggested by the linguist Julius Mägiste in the 1920s. It was subsequently used in the 1945 opera
Tasuleegid by Eugen Kapp.
Sirpa f FinnishDerived from Finnish
sirpale meaning
"small piece, fragment".
Sisu m FinnishMeans
"willpower, determination, strength" in Finnish.
Sita f Hinduism, Hindi, NepaliMeans
"furrow" in Sanskrit. Sita is the name of the Hindu goddess of the harvest in the
Rigveda. This is also the name of the wife of
Rama (and an avatar of
Lakshmi) in the Hindu epic the
Ramayana. In this story Sita is abducted by the demon king
Ravana, with her husband and his allies attempting to rescue her.
Sitara f UrduMeans
"star" in Urdu, ultimately from Persian.
Si-U m & f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
始 (si) meaning "begin, start" combined with
祐 (u) meaning "divine intervention, protection" or
雨 (u) meaning "rain". Other combinations of hanja characters can form this name as well.
Siv f Swedish, Norwegian, Norse MythologyFrom Old Norse
Sif, which meant
"bride, kinswoman". In Norse mythology she was the wife of
Thor. After the trickster
Loki cut off her golden hair, an angry Thor forced him to create a replacement.
Sivan f HebrewFrom the name of the ninth month of the Hebrew calendar (occurring in late spring). It was adopted from the Babylonian calendar, derived from Akkadian
simānu meaning "season, occasion".
Sixten m SwedishFrom the Old Norse name
Sigsteinn, which was derived from the elements
sigr "victory" and
steinn "stone".
Sixtus m Late RomanProbably the Latin form of the Greek name
Ξύστος (Xystos) meaning
"scraped, polished". This name was borne by five popes. The first pope by this name was the sixth to serve after Saint Peter, so there is a possibility that this name is in fact derived from Latin
sextus "sixth".
Skanda m HinduismMeans
"hopping, spurting, spilling" in Sanskrit. This is the name of the Hindu god of war, also known as
Kartikeya or
Murugan. He is the son of
Shiva and
Parvati. He is worshipped especially by the Tamils in southern India.
Skaði f Norse MythologyMeans
"damage, harm" in Old Norse. In Norse mythology she was a giantess (jǫtunn) associated with the winter, skiing and mountains. After the gods killed her father, they offered her a husband from among them as compensation. She ended up marrying
Njord.
Skenandoa m Oneida (Anglicized)Possibly from Oneida
oskanutú meaning
"deer". This was the name of an 18th-century Oneida chief. According to some sources the Shenandoah River in Virginia was named after him, though the river seems to have borne this name from before his birth. It is possible that he was named after the river, or that the similarity in spellings is a coincidence.
Skuld f Norse MythologyMeans
"debt, obligation" in Old Norse. She was one of the three Norns, or goddesses of destiny, in Norse mythology. She was also one of the valkyries.
Sky f & m English (Modern)Simply from the English word
sky, which was ultimately derived from Old Norse
ský "cloud".
Skye f English (Modern)From the name of the Isle of Skye off the west coast of Scotland. It is sometimes considered a variant of
Sky.
Skylar f & m English (Modern)Variant of
Skyler. Originally more common for boys during the 1980s, it was popularized as a name for girls after it was used on the American soap opera
The Young and the Restless in 1989 and the movie
Good Will Hunting in 1997. Its sharp rise in the United States in 2011 might be attributed to the character Skyler White from the television series
Breaking Bad (2008-2013) or the singer Skylar Grey (1986-), who adopted this name in 2010 after previously going by Holly Brook.
Skyler m & f English (Modern)Variant of
Schuyler, based on the pronunciation of the surname but respelled as if it was a blend of the English word
sky with names such as
Tyler. It was rare before 1980, and first gained popularity as a name for boys. It is now more common for girls, though it is more evenly unisex than the mostly feminine variant
Skylar.
Sláine f & m Old Irish, Irish MythologyFrom Old Irish
slán meaning
"health, safety". This was the name of a legendary high king of Ireland, one of the Fir Bolg. It was also the name of a daughter of the 11th-century high king Brian Boru.
Slávek m CzechDiminutive of names containing the Slavic element
slava meaning
"glory". It is sometimes used independently.
Slaven m Croatian, SerbianMeans
"a Slav" in Croatian and Serbian, referring to the European people who speak one of the Slavic languages (which include Croatian and Serbian). The word is derived from Old Slavic *
slověninŭ.
Slavěna f CzechDerived from Czech
slavná meaning
"glorious", a derivative of Old Slavic
slava "glory".
Sława f PolishShort form of names containing the Slavic element
slava meaning
"glory".
Sławomir m PolishDerived from the Slavic elements
slava "glory" and
mirŭ "peace, world". This name (Slavomir) was borne by 9th-century rulers of the Obotrites and the Moravians.
Smaragdos m Ancient GreekMeans
"emerald" in Greek, of Semitic origin. This was the name of a 3rd-century Roman martyr and saint, better known by the Latinized form of his name
Smaragdus.
Sméagol m LiteratureFrom Old English
smeah meaning
"penetrating, creeping". In J. R. R. Tolkien's novel
The Lord of the Rings (1954) this is revealed as the original name of the creature
Gollum. Tolkien used English-like translations of many names; the real hobbit-language form of the name was
Trahald.
Smiljana f Croatian, SerbianFrom the Serbo-Croatian word
smilje, a type of plant, known as everlasting or immortelle in English (genus Helichrysum).
Smiltė f LithuanianMeans
"sandwort" in Lithuanian, referring to flowering plants from the genus Arenaria.
Smith m EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"metal worker, blacksmith", derived from Old English
smitan "to smite, to hit". It is the most common surname in most of the English-speaking world.
Sneewittchen f LiteratureOlder form of
Schneewittchen (see
Snow White). This was the Low German form originally used by the Brothers Grimm for their adaptation of the folktale
Snow White.
Sneferu m Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
snfr-wj meaning
"(he) has made me beautiful", from
snfr "to make beautiful", a derivative of
nfr "beautiful, good". This was the name of the founder of the 4th dynasty during Egypt's Old Kingdom (27th century BC).
Snieguolė f LithuanianFrom Lithuanian
sniegas meaning
"snow" and a diminutive suffix. As a word,
snieguolė can also mean
"snowdrop flower", while
Snieguolė is also the Lithuanian name for
Snow White.
Snorri m Old Norse, IcelandicDerived from Old Norse
snerra "attack, onslaught". This name was borne by Snorri Sturluson, a 13th-century Icelandic historian and poet, the author of the
Prose Edda.
Snow White f LiteratureEnglish translation of German
Sneewittchen, derived from Low German
Snee "snow" and
witt "white" combined with the diminutive suffix
-chen. This is the name of a girl who escapes her evil stepmother and takes refuge with seven dwarfs in an 1812 story recorded by the Brothers Grimm, who based it on earlier European folktales. The High German translation would be
Schneeweißchen, but this was used by the Grimms for an unrelated character in another story (
Snow-White and Rose-Red). The modern German form is typically the hybrid
Schneewittchen. The story was adapted into a film by Walt Disney in 1937.
Sobek m Egyptian MythologyFrom Egyptian
sbk, possibly derived from
sbq "to impregnate". In Egyptian mythology Sobek was a ferocious crocodile-headed god associated with fertility and the Nile River.
Sobekhotep m Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
sbk-ḥtp meaning
"Sobek is satisfied", derived from the name of the Egyptian god
Sobek combined with
ḥtp "peace, satisfaction". This was the name of several Egyptian pharaohs from the 13th dynasty (19th to 17th centuries BC).
Sobiesław m Polish (Rare)Derived from Slavic elements, probably
sebě "to oneself" and
slava "glory". This name (in the Czech form
Soběslav) was borne by two 12th-century dukes of Bohemia.
Socorro f SpanishMeans
"succour, help, relief" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary María del Socorro meaning "Mary of Perpetual Succour".
Socrates m Ancient Greek (Latinized)From the Greek name
Σωκράτης (Sokrates), which was derived from
σῶς (sos) meaning "whole, unwounded, safe" and
κράτος (kratos) meaning "power". This was the name of an important Greek philosopher. He left no writings of his own; virtually everything that we know of his beliefs comes from his pupil
Plato. He was sentenced to death for impiety.
Sohrab m Persian, Persian MythologyFrom Persian
سهر (sohr) meaning "red" and
آب (āb) meaning "water". In the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh this is the name of the son of the hero
Rostam. He was tragically slain in battle by his father, who was unaware he was fighting his own son.
Soile f FinnishPossibly from Finnish
soilu meaning
"glimmer, blaze".
Sok m & f KhmerMeans
"healthy, peaceful, happy, pleasant" in Khmer, ultimately from Sanskrit
सुख (sukha).
Sokol m AlbanianMeans
"falcon" in Albanian, a word borrowed from Slavic.
Solange f French, PortugueseFrench form of the Late Latin name
Sollemnia, which was derived from Latin
sollemnis "religious". This was the name of a French shepherdess who became a saint after she was killed by her master.
Soledad f SpanishMeans
"solitude" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
María de la Soledad, meaning "Mary of Solitude".
Soleil f VariousMeans
"sun" in French. It is not commonly used as a name in France itself.
Sóley f IcelandicMeans
"buttercup (flower)" in Icelandic (genus Ranunculus), derived from
sól "sun" and
ey "island".
Solfrid f NorwegianFrom the Old Norse elements
sól "sun" and
fríðr "beautiful, beloved". This name was coined in the 19th century.
Sólja f FaroeseMeans
"buttercup (flower)" in Faroese (genus Ranunculus). The buttercup is the national flower of the Faroe Islands.
Solon m Ancient GreekPossibly from Greek
σόλος (solos) meaning
"lump of iron". This was the name of an Athenian statesman who reformed the laws and government of the city.
Solveig f Norwegian, Swedish, DanishFrom an Old Norse name, which was derived from the elements
sól "sun" and
veig "strength". This is the name of the heroine in Henrik Ibsen's play
Peer Gynt (1876).
Sōma m JapaneseFrom Japanese
颯 (sō) meaning "sudden, sound of the wind" and
真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Soma 2 m & f Hinduism, Bengali, HindiFrom Sanskrit
सोम (soma), the name of a ritual drink appearing in the Vedas. It is probably derived from an Indo-Iranian root meaning "to press out, to extract". As a Vedic god, Soma is a personification of this drink. He is sometimes equated with the moon god
Chandra.
... [more] Somchai m ThaiDerived from Thai
สม (som) meaning "worthy" combined with
ชาย (chai) meaning "man" or
ชัย (chai) meaning "victory".
Somerled m Old Norse (Anglicized)Anglicized form of the Old Norse name
Sumarliði meaning
"summer traveller". This was the name of a 12th-century Norse-Gaelic king of Mann and the Scottish Isles.
Somporn m ThaiDerived from Thai
สม (som) meaning "worthy" and
พร (phon) meaning "blessing".
Sondre m NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Sundri, possibly from Old Norse
sunn meaning
"south".
Soner m TurkishFrom Turkish
son meaning "last, final" and
er meaning "man, hero, brave".
Sonic m Popular CultureFrom the English word
sonic meaning
"related to sound", derived from Latin
sonus meaning "sound". It also connotates speediness, or the speed of sound, due to words like
supersonic or
hypersonic. A notable fictional bearer is the speedy video game character Sonic the Hedgehog, introduced in 1991 by Sega. He is called
ソニック (Sonikku) in Japan.
Sonnhild f German (Rare)From German
Sonne meaning "sun" combined with the Old German element
hilt meaning "battle". This name was created in the modern era.
Sonny m EnglishFrom a nickname that is commonly used to denote a young boy, derived from the English word
son.
Sons-ee-ah-ray f ApachePossibly means
"morning star" from Apache
sons-ee-ah-ray. This name was featured in the western movie
Broken Arrow (1950).
Sopdet f Egyptian MythologyFrom Egyptian
spdt meaning
"triangle", derived from
spd meaning "to be sharp" and a feminine
t suffix. This was the name of the Egyptian goddess of the star Sirius.
Sophia f English, Greek, German, Ancient GreekMeans
"wisdom" in Greek. This was the name of an early, probably mythical, saint who died of grief after her three daughters were martyred during the reign of the emperor Hadrian. Legends about her probably arose as a result of a medieval misunderstanding of the phrase
Hagia Sophia "Holy Wisdom", which is the name of a large basilica in Constantinople.
... [more] Sophonisba f Phoenician (Latinized), HistoryFrom the Punic name
𐤑𐤐𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋 (Ṣapanbaʿl) probably meaning
"Ba'al conceals", derived from Phoenician
𐤑𐤐𐤍 (ṣapan) possibly meaning "to hide, to conceal" combined with the name of the god
Ba'al. Sophonisba was a 3rd-century BC Carthaginian princess who killed herself rather than surrender to the Romans. Her name was recorded in this form by Roman historians such as Livy. She later became a popular subject of plays from the 16th century onwards.
Sophron m Ancient GreekMeans
"self-controlled, sensible" in Greek. This name was borne by the 5th-century BC writer Sophron of Syracuse.
Sora f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
空 (sora) or
昊 (sora) both meaning "sky". Other kanji with the same pronunciations can also form this name.
Sorcha f Irish, Scottish GaelicMeans
"radiant, bright" in Irish. It has been in use since late medieval times. It is sometimes Anglicized as
Sarah (in Ireland) and
Clara (in Scotland).
Sorin m RomanianPossibly derived from Romanian
soare meaning
"sun".
Sorrel f English (Rare)From the name of the sour tasting plant, derived from Old French
sur "sour", a word of Frankish origin.
Sosigenes m Ancient GreekMeans
"born safely" from Greek
σῶς (sos) meaning "safe, whole, unwounded" and
γενής (genes) meaning "born". This was the name of an astronomer from Alexandria employed by Julius Caesar to correct the Roman calendar.
Sosruko m Caucasian MythologyDerived from Turkic
suslä meaning
"menacing". This is the name of a trickster god in Caucasian mythology. He is the hero of the Nart sagas.
Sōta m JapaneseFrom Japanese
颯 (sō) meaning "sudden, sound of the wind" and
太 (ta) meaning "thick, big, great". This name can also be formed of other kanji combinations.
Sothy m & f KhmerMeans
"intelligence, wisdom" in Khmer.
Sotirios m GreekDerived from Greek
σωτήρ (sotir) meaning
"saviour, deliverer", referring to
Jesus, or
σωτηρία (sotiria) meaning
"salvation, deliverance".
Spartacus m HistoryMeans
"from the city of Sparta" in Latin. Spartacus was the name of a Thracian-born Roman slave who led a slave revolt in Italy in the 1st century BC. He was eventually killed in battle and many of his followers were crucified.
Spencer m EnglishFrom an English surname that meant
"dispenser of provisions", derived from Middle English
spense "larder, pantry". A famous bearer was American actor Spencer Tracy (1900-1967). It was also the surname of Princess Diana (1961-1997).
Spes f Roman MythologyMeans
"hope" in Latin. In Roman mythology this was the name of the personification of hope.
Spike m EnglishFrom a nickname that may have originally been given to a person with spiky hair.
Spirit f English (Rare)From the English word
spirit, ultimately from Latin
spiritus "breath, energy", a derivative of
spirare "to blow".
Spring f EnglishFrom the name of the season, ultimately from Old English
springan "to leap, to burst forth".
Sprita f EsperantoMeans
"witty, lively" in Esperanto, ultimately from Latin
spiritus "breath, energy".
Spurius m Ancient RomanRoman praenomen, or given name, which is of uncertain meaning, probably of Etruscan origin. It may be related to the Late Latin word
spurius "of illegitimate birth", which was derived from Etruscan
srural "public".
Spyridon m Greek, Late GreekLate Greek name derived from Greek
σπυρίδιον (spyridion) meaning
"basket" or Latin
spiritus meaning
"spirit". Saint Spyridon was a 4th-century sheep farmer who became the bishop of Tremithus and suffered during the persecutions of Diocletian.
Srbuhi f ArmenianMeans
"holy woman, female saint" in Armenian, derived from
սուրբ (surb) meaning "holy, sacred".
Stacy f & m EnglishAs a feminine name it is commonly considered a diminutive of
Anastasia, though it was originally used independently of that name, which was rare in America in the 1950s when Stacy began becoming popular. It had earlier been in use as an uncommon masculine name, borrowed from the surname Stacy or Stacey (derived from
Stace, a medieval form of
Eustace).
Stafford m EnglishFrom a surname that was from a place name meaning
"landing-place ford" in Old English.
Ståle m NorwegianFrom the Old Norse byname
Stáli, which was derived from
stál meaning
"steel".
Stanford m EnglishFrom a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"stone ford" in Old English.
Stanley m EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"stone clearing" (Old English
stan "stone" and
leah "woodland, clearing"). A notable bearer of the surname was the British-American explorer and journalist Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904), the man who found David Livingstone in Africa. As a given name, it was borne by American director Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999), as well as the character Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams' play
A Streetcar Named Desire (1947).
Star f EnglishFrom the English word for the celestial body, ultimately from Old English
steorra.
Stavros m GreekMeans
"cross" in Greek, referring to the cross of the crucifixion.