Familiar Names that start with S

A word name that has sailed onto birth certificates of both genders, especially since Liv Tyler used it for her son. For boys, Saylor and Sailor are used about equally, but were together given to about 100 baby boys last year....and 1000 baby girls.

Sawyer is a surname with a more relaxed and friendly feel than many others, and is one of the hottest occupational names right now, with the Nameberry seal of approval. Sawyer is becoming one of the top unisex names. Both Sara Gilbert and Diane Farr used Sawyer for their daughters, while it was given a boost as a boys' name by the character Sawyer on Lost, an alias for the character really named James Ford.

A cool, windswept, surfer babe-magnet in 1965, a nice dad -- or even granddad -- today.

Shaelyn is a feminine name that emerged in the late 20th century, blending elements of popular names like Shae/Shay with the trending '-lyn' suffix that became fashionable in American naming. It can be interpreted as a modern elaboration of Shae (which means 'admirable' or 'hawk-like' in Irish origins) or as a creative combination inspired by names like Shannon and Kaelyn. The name began gaining modest recognition in the 1990s and saw increased usage in the early 2000s, particularly in North America. Shaelyn offers the appeal of feeling contemporary while maintaining a melodic, feminine quality. Various spelling variations exist, including Shaylyn, Shaelynn, and Shaelynne, though this version strikes a balance between distinctiveness and straightforward spelling.

Shanae appears to be a modern variant of Shanay or Shana, which themselves may derive from several possible sources. The name could be a variant of Shana (Hebrew for 'beautiful') or possibly related to the Irish name Sinéad (the Irish form of Janet or Jane, ultimately from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'). The spelling variation follows patterns of phonetic creativity in contemporary naming practices. Shanae emerged in naming records in the United States during the 1970s and saw increased usage through the 1980s-1990s. The name exemplifies the trend of adapting traditional names with creative spellings while maintaining familiar pronunciation patterns. While never among the most common names, Shanae has maintained consistent though modest usage, primarily as a feminine name, since its introduction to the naming landscape.

This down-to-earth Bible name is surprisingly little-used, considering the popularity of other Old Testament names. Shem was Noah's eldest son, and is the origin of the term Semitic (as in the language family).

Sleek and smart, with a hint of mystique about it, Silas is a recent addition to the US Top 100. Both mythological and Biblical in origin, Silas joins the ranks of Isaiah, Atlas, Elias, and Sebastian: polished and contemporary feeling names with plenty of history.

While Skylar is currently the most popular spelling choice for girls, the Skyler option is more (statistically) unisex. Given to boy and girls in nearly equal numbers each year, it ranks around the middle of the US Top 1000.

An elegant, continental name for the post-Steve era. It debuted on the US Top 1000 in 1949 and has been on the list every year since except for a year off in 2008.

Stella is a name with star quality and sparkle, that manages to sound both ethereal and earthy. Celestial but not otherworldly, it lands somewhere between the popular Ella and bold Seraphina.

Stellan is a strong, attractive, Scandinavian possible up-and-comer, known through actor Stellan Skarsgard, and his namesake, the son of Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany. Its trendy 'an' ending and the similarity in sound to the popular Kellen/Kellan make it all the more accessible.

If you wanted to try to get people to pronounce your son's first name the way Stephen Curry does, this might be a way to do it.

Some parents just use Steve on the birth certificate, but it doesn't have the breezy charm of trendy short forms like Max, Sam, and Jake. Regardless of how much you love Steve as a given name, it might be smart to give your son a longer option to fall back on.

Steven, the phonetic and now predominant spelling of the classier Stephen, has finally dropped out of the Top 100 after seventy years. Steve has become one of the ultimate regular-guy names, right up there with Dave and Joe. and there have been innumerable pop-culture role models among its bearers--from Steven Spielberg to Steven Soderbergh to Steve Jobs.

The musical, sylvan Sylvia seems poised to join former friends Frances and Beatrice and Dorothy back in the nursery.