Peaceful, calm, and untroubled: these are qualities parents may be hoping for, either on their parenting journey or in their child’s life. The name Serenity encapsulates these hopes, conjuring up a sense of balance, composure, and ease.

Salem is a biblical place-name in Canaan, believed to be the same as Jerusalem. Americans may be more familiar with Salem as the name of the Massachusetts town famous for its witch trials in the late 1600s. It's also a popular Arabic name widely-used for both genders.

Actress Sigourney -- born Susan -- Weaver made this unusual name (which she found in The Great Gatsby) famous, if not popular.

Satine, the name of the Nicole Kidman character in Moulin Rouge,, is, by definition satiny smooth. Jacinda Barrett named her daughter Satine Anais.

Supermodel Christie Brinkley launched an entire name genre when she picked this breezy occupational name for her daughter in 1998, and it has become more prevalent in recent decades. The Saylor version, which you might consider a spelling spin or a surname-name, is now among the Top 500 names for girls, given to three times as many baby girls as the Sailor spelling. Counted together, Saylor and Sailor were used for about 1000 baby girls in one recent year in the US, versus about 100 boys.

Sheila peaked in popularity from the 1930s to the 1960s (she reached Number 49 in 1965), along with Maureen and Colleen; parents today would probably go back to the original Cecilia or forward to Shea.

Nickname name in the era of Grease. Sandy fits well in the era of boyish nicknames for girls - a la Scottie and Stevie - or as an alternative to the rapidly rising Goldie. While it peaked in 1960, Sandy is still given to about 60 baby girls each year.

This Old Testament place name was in the Top 10 fifty years ago, but now Sharon, along with sound-alike Karen, have fallen out of favor.

Irish place-name -- it's a river, a town, and an airport -- once popular but now supplanted by such newer immigrants as Saoirse and Seanan.

Sweet and cosy but with substance too, Sosie is a rare, multicultural name. Used as a short form of Susan, Sosan, Sophie and Sophia, it could make a fresh alternative to Suzy, Izzy, or Josie; alternatively, it's an Armenian name in its own right, derived from Sosi meaning "palm tree".

Sidra is an uncommon name shared by a gulf off the coast of Libya. Popular in the Jewish community of North Africa, its Hebrew meaning refers to a weekly reading portion of the Torah. In Arabic, it's the name of a tree, which is an Islamic symbol of the upper limit of heaven.

A name with some sterling qualities, most associated with the British currency and silver markets, though it could easily be read as virtuous, celebratory choice, like Merritt or Goldie.

Sunshine was seen as a quintessential hippie name of the 70s, reaching as high as Number 536 in 1975. Now such names are making a bit of a retro comeback, seen, for example, as a character on Glee.

Shreya is an Indian name with several positive meanings--beautiful, fortunate, auspicious, favorable--and ties to the goddess Lakshmi.

Stately and elegant, but with the familiar sounds of Sophia and Sophie, Sophronia was a familiar choice back in the 19th century but has since fallen into obscurity. Derived from the Greek sophron, it means "sensible, self-restrained".

This female form of Sa'id is one of several eminently usable Arabic S names.

A beautiful and evocative place-name that deserves wider use, Sahara brings to mind deserts and heat. Derived from Arabic, it is the name of the world's largest hot desert, located across the North of Africa. Similar in appearance to Sarah and Zahra and similar in feel to Savannah, it was selected by reality TV star Georgia Harrison for her daughter Sahara Jean Stacey in 2025.

This pretty multicultural name makes a pleasant update to Sarah.

Stylish and boyish but could work for a girl -- especially one with brown eyes -- and Sully is a quirky and jaunty nickname.

The name of the glamorous mean girl in "High School Musical", Sharpay is a spin on the dog breed Shar Pei, which means "sand skin" in Chinese. As such, it's a brilliant name joke skewering the practice of picking a name for its sound without considering what it means.