Unique Names that Start With S

A gentle Hindi name, ultimately from the Sanskrit śāntī, Shanti may equally refer to a state of mental and physical peace, maintained despite any stresses or difficulties and Hindu prayers for peace, also known as a Shanti Mantras . 
 
American actor Nick Nolte used it for his daughter in 2008.

Shanti

One of the best known of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/804/irish-names-for-girls">Irish girls' names</a>, thanks to singer Sinead O'Connor. Though it's still in the Irish Top 100, it's no longer quite as fashionable in Ireland as Aoife or Aisling. But by now everyone in the Western World knows it's pronounced shin-aid and so would have no trouble fitting in on an American playground.
 This name increased in popularity in Ireland via Sinéad de Valera, the wife of president Éamon de Valera, who was born with the name Jane, but later chose to use its Irish form Sinéad. Actress Sinead Cusack is the wife of Jeremy Irons.

Sinead

I'm sure the parents of the six little girls named Sundae in the US last year were thinking, "well, if Nicole Kidman can use Sunday..." In this case, we think the day of the week spelling is preferable to the dessert spelling.

Sundae

If you've rejected all the names on earth, you might move on to the sixth planet from the sun, also the Roman god of agriculture and plenty, and the origin of Saturday.

Saturn

Sheridan is one surname-name that hasn't come into style for either gender, though it was lightly used for boys around the turn of the 20th century and girls 100 years later. The name does have an attractive sound and an appealing meaning.

Sheridan

In Roman mythology, Silvanus was the god of the forests. He protected farmers and fields and was credited with developing a system for marking field boundaries.
 
Silvanus is the name of a disciple in the New Testament, also referred to as Silas.

Silvanus

Solstice graduated from word to official first name when author Lionel Shriver used it for a character in her novel Big Brother. But of course, there were people named Solstice before: 16 baby girls were given the name in the US in 2021, and it was last on the charts for boys in 2018, when six baby boys got the name.

The word solstice is derived from the Old French and Latin term meaning "point at which the sun seems to stand still." There are pagan celebrations around the time of the winter and summer solstices, June 21 and December 21, the longest and shortest days of the year, which makes Solstice one of the best <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/577/names-for-december-babies">names for babies born in December</a> or June.

Solstice

A relative of the Arabic Salih or Saleh, meaning "virtuous".

Soliha

Solstice graduated from word to official first name when author Lionel Shriver used it for a character in her novel Big Brother. But of course, there were people named Solstice before: 16 baby girls were given the name in the US in 2021 (and it is occasionally used for boys too).

The word solstice is derived from the Old French and Latin term meaning "point at which the sun seems to stand still." There are pagan celebrations around the time of the winter and summer solstices, June 21 and December 21, the longest and shortest days of the year, which makes Solstice one of the best <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/577/names-for-december-babies">names for babies born in December</a> or June.

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".
 
Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon chose this unusual diminutive for their daughter back in 1992. It is believed they have been inspired by the Latin name Sosia, which appears in an ancient Roman play, and means "saviour", or by the French word sosie meaning "lookalike", adding more layers to this charming name.

Sosie

Would make an unexpected middle name for a baby born at dusk.

Sunset

Sabbath is a faith-inspired word name, like Sunday or Faith, that is attracting some notice since heavy metal musician Zakk Wylde chose it for his son.  But then there's the band Black Sabbath, which gives the name a more devilish twist.  While there's nothing intrinsically male or female about Sabbath as a first name, it squeaked onto the Social Security roster for five boys in 2012, but was not recorded for girls.  Sabbath comes from the word for "day of rest" in many ancient cultures.


Sabbath

Weapon-related names like Saber have been on the rise in recent years.  In 2014, ten baby boys in the US were named Saber and five Sabre.  The name may also relate to the Arabic Sabir, though to contemporary English-speakers, the reference will more likely be the sword.

Saber

Sid originated as a nickname for Sidney, but we like it on its own, a la Sara Quin's and Jason Biggs and Jenny Mollen's sons. Sid Vicious, member of the band the Sex Pistols, gives this name a punk rock vibe.

Name of a feminist air pirate with an evil bent, Sala is also the word name for 'room' in Spanish.  Salah is a common Arabic name.

Sala

Shoshanna is a variation of one of the best-known original <a href"https://nameberry.com/baby-names/158/hebrew-names"> Hebrew baby names</a> for girls , the original of Susanna. This is the spelling used by Shoshanna Lonstein, a designer who creates the Shoshanna clothing line and also the name of one of the four leading characters on the TV show Girls, Shoshanna Shapiro.

Shoshanna

Socorro is a Spanish and Portuguese word name taken from a title of the Virgin Mary, "Mary of Perpetual Succour." Its religious meaning makes it somewhat old-fashioned and not among the <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/495/spanish-names-for-girls">Spanish names for girls</a> widely used in the US.

Socorro

A rare unisex word/virtue name that is currently given to around 10 babies of each gender per year in the US. It could make for an unexpected route to bright, easygoing nickname Sol (or trendy nickname Ace). 
There is a male literary namesake in Solace Layfield, a character in Flannery O’Connor’s 1952 novel Wise Blood. Alanis Morrissette and Souleye used it as a middle name for their daughter, Onyx Solace, born in 2016.

Solace

As modern "smoosh" names go, Starlynn is not bad. Over the past two years nearly 40 American girls have been given this name. There may be some confusion with the name Starling (a type of bird), but that shouldn't be too difficult to overcome. Beware, however, its similarity in sound to Russian dictator, Stalin.

Starlynn

Light, zippy, and sunny, Suvi has a sparky yet sweet feel. Notably borne by Finnish supermodel Suvi Koponen, it is taken from the Finnish word for Summer, making it and interesting alternative to soundalikes Susie and Suvi and to contemporary favorite, Sunny.
 
In a recent year, it ranked at #59 in the Finnish charts, though it has also seen use in India, possibly in borrowed from the Sanskrit survana meaning "good colour, bright, gold".

Suvi

unique names that start with the letter S, including Shanti, Sinead, Sundae, Saturn, Sheridan, Silvanus, Solstice, Soliha, Solstice, Sosie, Sunset, Sabbath, Saber, Sid, Sala, Shoshanna, Socorro, Solace, Starlynn, and Suvi. (Page 12)