User-created list
Daring Middle Names for Girls
Across 14 pages
of 14
Sahara
Arabic
"deserts"
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…
Saison
French
"season"
A French word name that could be a fresh spin on Summer or Autumn.
Sapphira
Greek variation of Sapphire, Hebrew jewel name
"sapphire"
Sapphira is a lovely name which unfortunately has an unsavory Biblical history. The New Testament Sapphira was killed by God for lying about a tax payment. There's a Willa Cather novel called…
Sapphire
Hebrew, Greek, and Latin jewel name
"blue"
Sapphire goes waaaaay beyond Ruby and Pearl. This September birthstone, occasionally used a century ago, might be worth a reappraisal, perhaps as a Sophie/Sophia alternative. Sapphire is the…
Satchel
English nickname
"sack, bag"
Chosen by Woody Allen for his son with Mia Farrow (now renamed Seamus), honoring the great old-time baseball player Satchel Paige, and by Spike Lee for his daughter, but far too eccentric for…
Satin
French
"smooth, shiny"
Sensuous to a fault.
Scotland
Place-name
Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin's daughter Ireland opened up the map for names like Scotland, and now that it's been chosen by Kourtney Kardashian for her daughter Penelope's middle name -- in honor of…
Serendipity
English
"unexpected good fortune"
A unique virtue name with a sound as happy and lively as its meaning.
Serene
English word name
Serena in all its variant spellings is such a widely-used name that reducing it to its root word, Serene, might not occur to some. But like Pax and Clement, Serene is an excellent name for a calm…
Shasta
Place-name, Sanskrit
"teacher, guide, ruler"
A Californian mountain name revered by healers and spiritualists, Shasta has a New Age, cowboy feel. The mountain takes its name from the Indigenous American tribe, the Shasta people - though this…
Shellina
Shellina is a feminine name likely derived as an elaboration of 'Shelly,' which itself is a diminutive of Michelle (Hebrew, 'who is like God') or a reference to shells found on beaches. The suffix…
Sibylla
Greek
"seer, oracle"
This elongated form of Sibyl is dainty and delicate -- dare we even say demure? It's got deep history, a powerful namesake, and it's extremely rare -- zero baby girls were named Sibylla or Sybilla or…
Siouxsie
Modern invented name
"alternative spelling of Susie"
Familiar due to the English musician Siouxsie Sioux, singer of the 1970s-80s rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. Apart from its complicated look, the inclusion of the Native American tribe name…
Snowdrop
Snowdrop is a delicate nature-inspired feminine name derived from the early-blooming white flower that often emerges while snow still covers the ground. This botanical name symbolizes hope, purity,…
Solstice
English from Latin
"when the sun stands still"
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…
Sonnet
English from Italian
"little song"
Could there be a more poetic name than Sonnet? Actor Forest Whitaker was inspired to choose it for his daughter. The word sonnet derives from the Italian sonetto , meaning 'little song.' And although…
Starlet
Starlet is a feminine English word name that evokes images of both celestial beauty and Hollywood glamour. Derived from 'star' with the diminutive suffix '-let,' it literally means 'little star,'…
Starling
Bird name
Unusual choice that was the original name of children's illustrator Tasha Tudor, but is an interesting elaboration of Star, taking it into avian territory.
Story
English word name
"an account of incidents or events"
An imaginative choice with an uptempo Cory/Rory/Tori sound, perfect for the child of a writer — or anyone with a good story to tell. Story has been finding some appreciation among celebs like…
Sunshine
Word name
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 .