Unique Names that Start With S

A Hebrew name that appears in the Bible as one of David warriors, Shama means "to hear" or "to listen", linking it to understanding and obedience too. An unexpected way to the nickname Shay perhaps, Shama coincides with the feminine Hindi and Arabic name, Shama, meaning "candle".



Shama

An alternative form of Sanjali, this name has the spiritual meaning of "hands joined in prayer". The O spelling may simply be down to differences in transliterating the Hindi to English, however, it might also be influenced by the name Joli / Jolie. 
 
Sanjoli is used as the name of a spice company, and is borne by influencer and creator, Sanjoli Singh.

Sanjoli

Most famously the name of the ancient Greek tragedian, who wrote the plays Electra, Antigone, and Oedipus Rex, among others. The name is still used in Greece today, in its modern form of Sofoklis. Sophocles is a unique and dramatic ancient choice for lovers of theatre.

Kiwi actors Jemaine Clement, of Flight of the Conchords and Alice and Steve, and Miranda Manasiadis have a son named Sophocles.

Sophocles

A word name, a nature name, and a surname, Swift is strongly tied to singer Taylor Swift. It could make a fun and quirky middle name, and there might just be some "Swiftie" parents who choose it in the future.
 
Also linked to the writer Jonathan Swift and the high flying bird, Swift also means "quick".

Swift

A vibrant nickname-style name, Saffie is predominantly used as a short form of Saffron, Saffira, or similar, though it might also be used as a form of Sophie or Safiyya. Occasionally used in the UK as a stand-alone option, it has yet to rank in the US.
 
Also spelled Saffy, the name has appeared in the title of award-winning children's novel, Saffy's Angel and in British sitcom, Absolutely Fabulous, though in both cases, it was short for Saffron. A real life bearers include British jockey Saffie Osborne and Saffie Khan, a social media star and the partner of footballer Curtis Jones.

Saffie

A bright, musical name with multiple origins, Satara is a distinctive choice with familiar sounds. It hasn't appeared in the US stats since 2007, making it an appealing possibility for those looking for something rare, that works in multiple languages, and has a celestial feel.
 
From its Arabic roots, Satara means "one who covers", interpreted as meaning "one who hides the faults of others" or "one who doesn't speak badly of other people". Also spelled as Satarah and Sattaarah, the masculine form is Sattar. 
 
From its Hindi roots, it is connected to a place in India which derived its name from the phrase "Saat Tara", translating to "Seven Stars". This name referred to the seven hillside forts throughout the city, associating the name with both the celestial and with protection. 
 
Another possibility is that Satara might sometimes be used as an English compound name, blending together Sarah and Tara, lending it the combined meaning of "princess of the elevated place".
 
A notable bearer is footballer Satara Murray.

Satara

This rare name combines the Scandi Siri with the classic Anna into one enchanting name. For anyone who loves Siri but finds it unusable due to the association with the digital assistant, Sirianna could be a beautiful alternative.

Sirianna

A newly-minted hyphenated name for 2025, chosen by Entourage actor, Adrian Grenier and his wife Jordan Roemmele for their son's middle name, Evren Saint-Eros. A bold choice made up of several trendy elements: word names, mythological names, and modern spiritual names.
 
Eros is the name of the Greek God of love, more specifically, the God of romantic and sexual love and has been on the rise in the US since the 2010s. Saint refers to a holy person and was propelled up the charts as a name when Kim Kardashian and Kanye West chose it for their son in 2015.
 
Will many parents choose to put both of these weighty names together for their baby? Possibly not, but as a middle name, it's certainly memorable.

Saint-eros

Sage, Rosemary, Saffron, Ginger, and Cassia are used as names, so how about Samphire? This unusual name is given to a plant from the parsley family that grow on seaside cliffs but it's also used to refer to other coastal plants that resemble it. Similar in sound to Sapphire, Saphira, Samantha, and Samara, this undiscovered name could make a bold choice with familiar sounds and grounded nickname options, Sam, Sammy, and Saffie.
 
Derived from the French herbe de Saint Pierre, it was corrupted in English to sampiere and then to samphire. As such, the name means "St Peter's herb", in honor of the patron saint of fisherman. 
 
Appearing in Shakespeare's King Lear and in a number of food recipes, Samphire can be pronounced as SAM-fie-uh or as SAM-fuh, depending on region. A one of a kind choice, this nature, herb, food and sea-related name has yet to appear in the US stats.

Samphire

A rare and evocative place name for a girl. Seville is the capital of Andalusia, an autonomous community in Spain. The Spanish name, Sevilla, derived from the Phoenician word sefela, meaning "plain" or "valley."

Seville

Stylized as Sha'Carri, Olympic sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson brought this name to the field. It entered the US stats for the first time in 2024, when it was given to 5 babies.
 
The name has a variety of origins, one possibility being that it comes from the Zulu Shakari, relating to a stomach cramp caused by an intestinal parasite and sometimes given to unexpected babies. Alternatively, it might come from the Hebrew Sachar, meaning "dawn" or the Arabic Shakira (or Shakara) meaning "thankful", although it may also be a blend of English nickname Carrie and the prefix sha.

Shacarri

Used to describe an amazingly beautiful person and a surprisingly good day or event, Stunner also also in the scifi series, Dune as a type of weapon. Similar in vibe to Gunner or Cannon, it was given to five babies in 2024.

Stunner

Combining the sounds of Sage, Sadie, and Jade, and gender neutral vibes of Quinn and Blake, Swade might be one to watch out for in coming years. It can be viewed in two ways: a respelling of word name Suede or as a last-name-as-a-fist name.
 
As a respelling of Suede, it is related to a soft leather material used for shoes, making it a word name and a place name, as Suède translates to Sweden in French. As a surname, it comes from the Old English swathu, meaning "swath, track, area" or "strip of grassland".
 
In a recent year, 22 boys were given the name Swade in the US, while Suede was chosen for 80 boys and 32 girls, suggesting this alternative or sound-alike spelling may attract more attention in the future. In fact, influencer Kaitlyn Bruza used the name for her daughter, Swade Elena, towards the end of 2024 which may encourage others to use it.

Swade

A wild word name with connotations of strength, safety, and protection, Secure manages to fit with gentler word options like Truce, Peace, and Haven, while equally matching the likes of Valor, Noble, and Stone. Influencers Rissa and Quan chose this bold word name for their son in 2025, who joined brothers Shine and Saviour. Secure has yet to make the US stats, but it feels like a name that could, given currently trends. 

Secure

Poppy is the most widely-used seed name, opening the door for Sesame. While Sesame has a pretty sound, it is not often used as a name -- fewer than five baby girls were given the name in the US in 2021. In kids' minds, this might be overly associated with Sesame Street. 

Sesame

A French variant of the ancient Latin Sixtus, a name whose meaning can be interpreted as "scraped, polished" from the Latin Xystos, or, perhaps more intuitively now, from the Latin sextus meaning "sixth". A rare option, it has appeared in the French charts only twice: once in 1904 and again in 1940.
 
Sixte may also be considered a word name, used to describe one of the eight basic positions in fencing in which the sword hand is held at chest heigh and the end of the sword at eyelevel. In this case, it is pronounced more like sikst than the French seekst.

Sixte

The name of a populous city in Iran and a type of wine made from Syrah grapes, Shiraz is most notably used in Pakistan, Sudan, and Sri Lanka. While the exact meaning of the name is unknown, one possibility is that it comes from the Persian shir meaning "lion". 
 
As such, the name may be interpreted as "brave" and "king" too, owing to the cultural associations with lions, while another possibility is that it means "free as a lion", by taking the element azad ("free") into account.
 
The name also has its roots in Hebrew, from which it means "secret song", though it is predominantly used as a feminine name in this case.

Shiraz

A rare Biblical name, Shecaniah appears a number of times throughout the Bible and may be related to the concept of Shekinah, referring to a place of divine presence. In the case of this masculine name, it derives from a Hebrew word meaning "dwelling, settling" and may also be spelled as Shechaniah. 
 
The name has several pronunciations, including shehk-uh-NIE-uh and shuh-KAYN-yah.

Shecaniah

A summery name which an energetic feel, Shamsa is a variation of Shams, a unisex Arabic name taken directly from the Arabic word for "sun". It was originally borne by a pre-Islamic goddess, related to the Akkadian sun god Shamash.
 
Also interpreted as meaning "little sun", the name is also used among Muslims, as the word shams appears multiple times in the Quran.

Shamsa

If Roman can work, could Spartan be one to consider? Derived from the name of the powerful city state in ancient Greece (also called Lacedaemon), known for its military strength, Spartan is believed to have been taken from the Greek word for rope, inspired by cords that were traditionally laid to show the city's boundaries. 
 
Sharp and smart, Spartan is reminiscent of the aforementioned Roman, but also Spencer, Sutton, Saxon, and Carson.

Spartan

unique names that start with the letter S, including Shama, Sanjoli, Sophocles, Swift, Saffie, Satara, Sirianna, Saint-eros, Samphire, Seville, Shacarri, Stunner, Swade, Secure, Sesame, Sixte, Shiraz, Shecaniah, Shamsa, and Spartan. (Page 19)

Unique Names that Start With S

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