Names Starting with sh

Shōhei m Japanese
From 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.

Shohre f Persian
Alternate transcription of Persian شهره (see Shohreh).

Shohreh f Persian
Means "famous" in Persian.

Shōji m Japanese
From 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.

Shokoufeh f Persian
Means "blossom" in Persian.

Shokufeh f Persian
Alternate transcription of Persian شکوفه (see Shokoufeh).

Sholpan f Kazakh
Means "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 Scottish
Probably 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.

Shon m English
Variant of Shawn.

Shona f Scottish
Anglicized form of Seonag or Seònaid. Though unconnected, this is also the name of an ethnic group who live in the south of Africa, mainly Zimbabwe.

Shonda f English
Invented name, probably based on the sounds found in Shawna and Rhonda.

Shoshana f Hebrew
Modern Hebrew form of Susanna.

Shoshanna f Biblical Hebrew
Biblical Hebrew form of Susanna.

Shōta m Japanese
From Japanese 翔 (shō) meaning "soar, glide" and 太 (ta) meaning "thick, big, great". Other combinations of kanji are also possible.

Shota m Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 翔太 (see Shōta).

Shou m Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 翔 or 奨 or 祥 (see Shō).

Shouhei m Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 翔平 (see Shōhei).

Shouji m Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 昌二 or 昭二 (see Shōji).

Shouta m Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 翔太 (see Shōta).

Shpëtim m Albanian
From Albanian shpëtim meaning "rescue, relief, salvation".

Shpresa f Albanian
From Albanian shpresë meaning "hope".

Shprintza f Yiddish (Rare)
Variant of Shprintze.

Shprintze f Yiddish (Rare)
Possibly a Yiddish form of Esperanza. This is the name of Tevye's fourth daughter in the musical Fiddler on the Roof (1964), based on the late 19th-century Yiddish stories of Sholem Aleichem.

Shprintzel f Yiddish (Rare)
Diminutive of Shprintze.

Shqipe f Albanian
From 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".

Shraga m Jewish
Alternate transcription of Hebrew שְׁרַגָא (see Sheraga).

Shrek m Popular Culture
Derived 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.

Shresth m Hindi
Means "most excellent, best" in Sanskrit.

Shreya f Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati
From Sanskrit श्रेयस् (śreyas) meaning "superior, better".

Shri f Hinduism
Means "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.

Shridevi f Hinduism
From the name of the Hindu goddess Shri combined with Sanskrit देवी (devī) meaning "goddess". This is another name of Lakshmi.

Shrinivas m Marathi
Means "the abode of Shri" from the name of the Hindu goddess Shri combined with Sanskrit निवास (nivāsa) meaning "abode, house".

Shripati m Hinduism
Means "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.

Shriram m Hindi, Marathi
From the Sanskrit honorific श्री (śrī) meaning "radiance, splendour" combined with the name of the Hindu deity Rama 1.

Shrivatsa m Hindi (Rare)
Means "beloved of Shri" from the name of the Hindu goddess Shri combined with Sanskrit वत्स (vatsa) meaning "beloved, dear". This is the name of a mark on Vishnu's chest.

Shu f Chinese
From Chinese 淑 (shū) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming", besides other characters that are pronounced similarly.

Shubham m Hindi, Marathi
Derived from Sanskrit शुभ (śubha) meaning "splendid, bright, auspicious".

Shufen f Chinese
From Chinese 淑 (shū) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming" combined with 芬 (fēn) meaning "fragrance, aroma, perfume". Other character combinations are possible as well.

Shug m Scots
Scots diminutive of Hugh.

Shuhrat m Uzbek, Tajik
From Persian شهرت (shohrat), derived from Arabic شهرة (shuhra) meaning "fame, reputation".

Shui m & f Chinese
From Chinese 水 (shuǐ) meaning "water", as well as other characters pronounced in a similar way.

Shukhrat m Tajik
Alternate transcription of Tajik Шӯҳрат (see Shuhrat).

Shukra m Hinduism
From Sanskrit शुक्र (śukra) meaning "clear, bright". This is the name of a Hindu god who presides over the planet Venus.

Shukri m Arabic
Means "thanking" in Arabic, derived from شكر (shakara) meaning "to thank".

Shukriya f Arabic
Alternate transcription of Arabic شكريّة (see Shukriyya).

Shukriyya f Arabic
Feminine form of Shukri.

Shula f Arabic
Means "flame" in Arabic.

Shulamit f Hebrew
Modern Hebrew form of Shulammite.

Shulamite f Biblical
Variant of Shulammite used in some versions of the Bible.

Shulamith f Hebrew
Alternate transcription of Hebrew שׁוּלַמִּית (see Shulamit).

Shulammit f Biblical Hebrew
Biblical Hebrew form of Shulammite.

Shulammite f Biblical
Derived from Hebrew שָׁלוֹם (shalom) meaning "peace". This name occurs in the Song of Songs in the Old Testament.

Shulmanu m Semitic Mythology
Possibly cognate with the Western Semitic god Shalim. Shulmanu was an Eastern Semitic (Mesopotamian) god associated with battle.

Shulmanu-Ashared m Ancient Assyrian
Original Akkadian form of Shalmaneser.

Shun 1 f & m Chinese
From Chinese 顺 (shùn) meaning "obey, submit" or other characters that are pronounced similarly.

Shun 2 f & m Japanese
From Japanese 駿 (shun) meaning "fast", 俊 (shun) meaning "talented", or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.

Shura f & m Russian
Russian diminutive of Aleksandra or Aleksandr.

Shweta f Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati
From Sanskrit श्वेत (śveta) meaning "white".

Shyam m Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali, Nepali
Modern masculine form of Shyama.

Shyama m & f Hinduism, Hindi
Derived from Sanskrit श्याम (śyāma) meaning "dark, black, blue". This is a transcription of both the masculine form श्याम (another name of the Hindu god Krishna) and the feminine form श्यामा (another name of the goddess Kali).

Shyamal m Bengali
From Sanskrit श्यामल (śyāmala), a derivative of श्याम (śyāma) meaning "dark, black, blue".

Shyamala f Tamil, Telugu, Marathi
Feminine form of Shyamal.

Shyanne f English (Modern)
Variant of Cheyenne.

Shyla f English (Modern)
Variant of Sheila, or a combination of the popular phonetic elements shy and la.

Shylock m Literature
Used by Shakespeare, possibly from the Hebrew name Shelach, for the primary antagonist in his play The Merchant of Venice (1596). Shylock is a Jewish moneylender who demands a pound of Antonio's flesh when he cannot repay his loan. Subsequent to the play, the name has been used as an ethnic slur for a Jewish person and a slang term for a loan shark.