Sabina f Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Slovene, Russian, Croatian, Swedish, Ancient RomanFeminine form of
Sabinus, a Roman cognomen meaning
"a Sabine" in Latin. The Sabines were an ancient people who lived in central Italy, their lands eventually taken over by the Romans after several wars. According to legend, the Romans abducted several Sabine women during a raid, and when the men came to rescue them, the women were able to make peace between the two groups. This name was borne by several early saints.
Sable f English (Modern)From the English word meaning
"black", derived from the name of the black-furred mammal native to northern Asia, ultimately of Slavic origin.
Sabrina f English, Italian, German, French, Spanish, PortugueseLatinized form of
Habren, the original Welsh name of the River Severn. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Sabrina was the name of a princess who was drowned in the Severn. Supposedly the river was named for her, but it is more likely that her name was actually derived from that of the river, which is of unknown meaning. She appears as a water nymph in John Milton's masque
Comus (1634).
... [more] Saburō m JapaneseFrom Japanese
三 (sabu) meaning "three" and
郎 (rō) meaning "son". This was traditionally a name for the third son. Other kanji combinations are possible as well.
Sacagawea f Indigenous AmericanProbably from Hidatsa
tsakáka wía meaning
"bird woman". Alternatively it could originate from the Shoshone language and mean "boat puller". This name was borne by a Native American woman who guided the explorers Lewis and Clark. She was of Shoshone ancestry but had been abducted in her youth and raised by a Hidatsa tribe.
Sacheverell m English (Rare)From a now extinct English surname that was derived from a Norman place name. It was occasionally given in honour of the English preacher Henry Sacheverell (1674-1724), especially by the Sitwell noble family.
Sachie f JapaneseFrom Japanese
幸 (sachi) meaning "happiness, good luck" and
枝 (e) meaning "branch" or
恵 (e) meaning "favour, benefit". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
Sachiko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
幸 (sachi) meaning "happiness, good luck" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Sacripante m Carolingian CycleMeaning uncertain, possibly related to Italian
sacrare "to consecrate". This is the name of a Saracen warrior king in the epic
Orlando poems (1495 and 1532) by Boiardo and Ariosto.
Sa'd m ArabicMeans
"fortune, good luck" in Arabic. Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas was a military commander during the early years of Islam, serving under the Prophet
Muhammad and his successor
Umar.
Sadaf f ArabicMeans
"seashell, mother-of-pearl" in Arabic.
Sadb f Irish Mythology, Old IrishProbably derived from the old Celtic root *
swādu- meaning
"sweet". This was a common name in medieval Ireland. In Irish mythology Sadb was a woman transformed into a deer. She was the mother of
Oisín by
Fionn mac Cumhaill.
Saddam m ArabicMeans
"one who confronts" in Arabic. It was borne by the Iraqi president Saddam Hussein (1937-2006).
Sadiq m Arabic, UrduMeans
"true, sincere, loyal" in Arabic, derived from the root
صدق (sadaqa) meaning "to tell the truth".
Saffron f English (Rare)From the English word that refers either to a spice, the crocus flower from which it is harvested, or the yellow-orange colour of the spice. It is derived via Old French from Arabic
زعفران (za'faran), itself probably from Persian meaning "gold leaves".
Saga f Norse Mythology, Swedish, IcelandicFrom Old Norse
Sága, possibly meaning
"seeing one", derived from
sjá "to see". This is the name of a Norse goddess, possibly connected to
Frigg. As a Swedish and Icelandic name, it is also derived from the unrelated word
saga "story, fairy tale, saga".
Sage f & m English (Modern)From the English word
sage, which denotes either a type of spice or else a wise person.
Sagrario f SpanishMeans
"sanctuary, tabernacle" in Spanish, derived from Latin
sacrarium. It is taken from an epithet of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora del Sagrario, and is associated with Toledo Cathedral.
Sahak m ArmenianArmenian form of
Isaac. This was the name of a 5th-century patriarch of the Armenian Church.
Sa'id m ArabicMeans
"happy, lucky" in Arabic. This was the name of a companion of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Saima 2 f Finnish, EstonianFrom
Saimaa, the name of the largest lake in Finland. The etymology of the lake's name is unknown.
Saira f UrduPossibly means
"traveller" in Arabic.
Sajjad m ArabicMeans
"kneeling in prayer, prostration" in Arabic.
Sakchai m ThaiDerived from Thai
ศักดิ์ (sak) meaning "power, honour" and
ชัย (chai) meaning "victory".
Sakhr m ArabicMeans
"solid rock" in Arabic. This name appears in the poems of the 7th-century poetess Al-Khansa.
Saki f JapaneseFrom Japanese
咲 (sa) meaning "blossom" and
希 (ki) meaning "hope", besides other combinations of kanji characters.
Sakiko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
咲 (saki) meaning "blossom" and
子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other combinations of kanji characters.
Sakura f JapaneseFrom Japanese
桜 (sakura) meaning "cherry blossom", though it is often written using the hiragana writing system. It can also come from
咲 (saku) meaning "blossom" and
良 (ra) meaning "good, virtuous, respectable" as well as other kanji combinations.
Sakurako f JapaneseFrom Japanese
桜 (sakura) meaning "cherry blossom" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Salacia f Roman MythologyDerived from Latin
sal meaning
"salt". This was the name of the Roman goddess of salt water.
Salah ad-Din m ArabicMeans
"righteousness of religion" from Arabic
صلاح (salah) meaning "righteousness" combined with
دين (din) meaning "religion, faith". A famous bearer of this name was the sultan Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, known in the western world as Saladin, the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty in Egypt in the 12th century. He recaptured Jerusalem from the crusaders and repelled the invaders of the Third Crusade. Salah ad-Din was an honorific; his birth name was
Yusuf.
Salambek m ChechenDerived from Arabic
سلام (salam) meaning "peace" combined with the Turkic military title
beg meaning "chieftain, master".
Salem 2 f & m English (Modern)From the name of a biblical town,
שָׁלֵם (Shalem) in Hebrew, meaning
"complete, safe, peaceful". According to the Old Testament this was the town where Melchizedek was king. It is usually identified with
Jerusalem. Many places are named after the biblical town, most in America, notably a city in Massachusetts where the infamous Salem witch trials occurred in 1692.
Salih m Arabic, Turkish, BosnianMeans
"virtuous" in Arabic. According to the Quran this was the name of an early Arabian prophet.
Salim m ArabicMeans
"safe, sound, intact" in Arabic, derived from the root
سلم (salima) meaning "to be safe". This transcription represents two different Arabic names:
سليم, in which the second vowel is long, and
سالم, in which the first vowel is long.
Salisu m HausaFrom Arabic
ثالث (thalith) meaning
"third", sometimes added to a shared given name to indicate the third sibling bearing it.
Salme f EstonianFrom Estonian
salm meaning
"poem, verse". This name appears in the Estonian national epic
Kalevipoeg (1857) by Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald.
Salome f English (Rare), German (Rare), Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekFrom an Aramaic name that was related to the Hebrew word
שָׁלוֹם (shalom) meaning
"peace". According to the historian Josephus this was the name of the daughter of
Herodias (the consort of Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee). In the New Testament, though a specific name is not given, it was a daughter of Herodias who danced for Herod and was rewarded with the head of
John the Baptist, and thus Salome and the dancer have traditionally been equated.
... [more] Salvacion f Spanish (Philippines)Filipino form of Spanish
salvación meaning
"salvation". It refers to a title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de Salvación, meaning "Our Lady of Salvation". This is the name of a statue of Mary in Joroan, the Philippines, that is associated with several miracles.
Salvador m Spanish, Portuguese, CatalanSpanish, Portuguese and Catalan form of the Late Latin name
Salvator, which meant
"saviour", referring to
Jesus. A famous bearer of this name was the Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí (1904-1989).
Salvius m Ancient RomanRoman family name derived from Latin
salvus meaning
"safe". This was the family name of the short-lived Roman emperor Otho. It was also borne by several early saints.
Sam 2 m Persian, Persian MythologyMeans
"fire" in Persian (from an earlier Iranian root meaning "black"). This is the name of a hero in the 10th-century Persian epic the
Shahnameh.
Samantha f English, Italian, DutchPerhaps intended to be a feminine form of
Samuel, using the name suffix
antha (possibly inspired by Greek
ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower"). It originated in America in the 18th century but was fairly uncommon until 1964, when it was popularized by the main character on the television show
Bewitched.
Samar 1 f ArabicMeans
"evening conversation" in Arabic, from the root
سمر (samara) meaning "to talk in the evening".
Samara f English (Modern), Portuguese (Brazilian)Possibly derived from the name of the city of Samarra (in Iraq) or Samara (in Russia). The former appears in the title of the novel
Appointment in Samarra (1934) by John O'Hara, which refers to an ancient Babylonian legend about a man trying to evade death. Alternatively, this name could be derived from the word for the winged seeds that grow on trees such as maples and elms.
... [more] Samo m Slovene, HistoryMeaning uncertain. This was the name of a 7th-century ruler of the Slavs, who established a kingdom including parts of modern Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. He was possibly of Frankish origin.
Sampson 2 m EnglishFrom an English surname that was itself derived from a medieval form of the given name
Samson.
Samson m Biblical, English, French, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name
שִׁמְשׁוֹן (Shimshon), derived from
שֶׁמֶשׁ (shemesh) meaning "sun". Samson was an Old Testament hero granted exceptional strength by God. His mistress
Delilah betrayed him and cut his hair, stripping him of his power. Thus he was captured by the Philistines, blinded, and brought to their temple. However, in a final act of strength, he pulled down the pillars of the temple upon himself and his captors.
... [more] Samuel m English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Romanian, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Jewish, Amharic, BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
שְׁמוּאֵל (Shemu'el) meaning
"name of God", from the roots
שֵׁם (shem) meaning "name" and
אֵל ('el) meaning "God". Other interpretations have the first root being
שָׁמַע (shama') meaning "to hear" leading to a meaning of
"God has heard". As told in the Books of Samuel in the Old Testament, Samuel was the last of the ruling judges. He led the Israelites during a period of domination by the Philistines, who were ultimately defeated in battle at Mizpah. Later he anointed
Saul to be the first king of Israel, and even later anointed his successor
David.
... [more] Samwise m LiteratureMeans
"simple, half wise" from Old English
sam "half" and
wis "wise". This is the name of a hobbit in J. R. R. Tolkien's novel
The Lord of the Rings (1954). Samwise Gamgee, often called Sam, is the faithful companion of Frodo on his quest to destroy the One Ring.
Samwise is an English-like translation of his true hobbit name
Banazîr.
Sanaa f ArabicMeans
"brilliance, radiance, splendour" in Arabic.
Sancho m Spanish, PortuguesePossibly a Spanish and Portuguese form of the Late Latin name
Sanctius, which was derived from the word
sanctus meaning
"saintly, holy". Alternatively,
Sancho and
Sanctius may be derived from an older Iberian name. This was the name of a 9th-century saint who was martyred by the Moors at Córdoba. It was also borne by several Spanish and Portuguese kings. Miguel de Cervantes used it in his novel
Don Quixote (1605), where it belongs to the squire of Don Quixote.
Sandalio m SpanishSpanish form of
Sandalius, possibly a Latinized form of a Gothic name composed of the elements
swinþs "strong" and
wulfs "wolf". It also nearly coincides with Latin
sandalium "sandal". This was the name of a 9th-century Spanish saint martyred by the Moors.
Sanford m EnglishFrom an English surname, originally from a place name, which meant
"sand ford" in Old English.
Sang m & f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
常 (sang) meaning "common, frequent, regular" or other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Sang-Hun m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
尚 (sang) meaning "still, yet" combined with
勛 (hun) meaning "meritorious deed, rank". Other hanja characters can form this name as well.
Sango f Popular CultureMeans
"coral" in Japanese. This name is used in the Japanese comic book and television show
InuYasha.
Sani 2 m HausaFrom Arabic
ثان (thani) meaning
"second". If two or more siblings share the same given name, this name may be appended to that of the second.
Sanjar m Uzbek, Medieval TurkicTurkic name meaning
"he who pierces, he who thrusts". Ahmad Sanjar was an 11th-century sultan of the Seljuq Empire.
Sanjaya m HinduismMeans
"completely victorious, triumphant" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a royal official in the Hindu epic the
Mahabharata.
Sansa f LiteratureInvented by the author George R. R. Martin for the character of Sansa Stark in his series
A Song of Ice and Fire, published beginning 1996, and the television adaptation
Game of Thrones (2011-2019).
Santana f & m Spanish (Latin American), Portuguese (Brazilian), English (Modern)From a contraction of
Santa Ana (referring to Saint
Anna) or from a Spanish and Portuguese surname derived from any of the numerous places named for the saint. It can be given in honour of the Mexican-American musician Carlos Santana (1947-), the founder of the band Santana. The name received a boost in popularity for American girls after the character Santana Andrade began appearing on the soap opera
Santa Barbara in 1984.
Santiago m Spanish, PortugueseMeans
"Saint James", derived from Spanish
santo "saint" combined with
Yago, an old Spanish form of
James, the patron saint of Spain. It is the name of the main character in the novella
The Old Man and the Sea (1951) by Ernest Hemingway. This also is the name of the capital city of Chile, as well as several other cities in the Spanish-speaking world.
Santo m ItalianMeans
"saint" in Italian, ultimately from Latin
sanctus.
Santos m SpanishMeans
"saints" in Spanish. It is used in reference to the Christian festival
Día de Todos los Santos (All Saints' Day) celebrated on November 1.
Sao f Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
σῶς (sos) meaning
"whole, unwounded, safe". This was the name of one of the Nereids in Greek mythology. A small moon of Neptune is named for her.
Saoirse f IrishMeans
"freedom" in Irish Gaelic. It was first used as a given name in the 20th century.
Saori f JapaneseFrom Japanese
沙 (sa) meaning "sand" or
早 (sa) meaning "already, now" combined with
織 (ori) meaning "weaving". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
Sapphira f BiblicalFrom the Greek name
Σαπφείρη (Sappheire), which was from Greek
σάπφειρος (sappheiros) meaning
"sapphire" or
"lapis lazuli" (ultimately derived from the Hebrew word
סַפִּיר (sappir)). Sapphira is a character in Acts in the New Testament who is killed by God for lying.
Sarah f English, French, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Hebrew, Arabic, Biblical, Biblical HebrewMeans
"lady, princess, noblewoman" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of
Abraham's wife, considered the matriarch of the Jewish people. She was barren until she unexpectedly became pregnant with
Isaac at the age of 90. Her name was originally
Sarai, but God changed it at the same time Abraham's name was changed (see
Genesis 17:15).
... [more] Saraid f Irish, Irish MythologyFrom Old Irish
Sárait, derived from
sár meaning
"excellent". This was the name of a daughter of the legendary high king of Ireland, Conn of the Hundred Battles.
Saramama f Inca MythologyMeans
"corn mother" in Quechua, from
sara "corn, maize" and
mama "mother". This was the name of the Inca goddess of grain.
Saraswati f Hinduism, Hindi, MarathiMeans
"possessing water" from Sanskrit
सरस् (saras) meaning "fluid, water, lake" and
वती (vati) meaning "having". This is the name of a Hindu river goddess, also associated with learning and the arts, who is the wife of
Brahma.
Sarava m Various (Rare)From a phrase used by members of the Candomblé religion (an African religion that was taken to Brazil by African slaves), which means
"good luck".
Sardar m Persian, Urdu, PashtoFrom a title meaning
"chief, leader", derived from Persian
سر (sar) meaning "head, authority" and the suffix
دار (dar) meaning "possessor".
Sargon m Akkadian (Anglicized), Biblical, Biblical HebrewFrom the Hebrew form
סַרְגּוֹן (Sargon) of the Akkadian name
Sharru-ukin, from
šarru meaning "king" and
kīnu meaning "legitimate, true". This was the name of the first king of the Akkadian Empire, beginning in the 24th century BC. It was also borne by the 8th-century BC Assyrian king Sargon II, who appears briefly in the Old Testament. The usual English spelling of the name is based on this biblical mention, applied retroactively to the earlier king.
Sarika f Hindi, MarathiFrom a Sanskrit word referring to a type of thrush (species Turdus salica) or myna bird (species Gracula religiosa).
Šárka f CzechMeaning unknown. In Czech legend Šárka was a maiden who joined other women in declaring war upon men. She tricked the men by having herself tied to a tree, and, after they came to her rescue, offering them mead laced with a sleeping potion. After the men fell asleep the other women slew them.
Sarolt f Hungarian (Rare)From the Old Hungarian name
Saroldu, probably of Turkic origin meaning
"white weasel, ermine". This was the wife of the 10th-century Hungarian grand prince
Géza.
Sarpedon m Greek MythologyMeaning unknown. In Greek legend Sarpedon was the son of
Zeus and Laodamia, and the king of the Lycians. He was one of the chief warriors who fought against the Greeks in defence of Troy, but he was killed by
Patroclus. Another Sarpedon was the son of Zeus and
Europa.
Saskia f Dutch, GermanFrom the Old German element
sahso meaning
"a Saxon". The Saxons were a Germanic tribe, their name ultimately deriving from the Germanic word *
sahsą meaning "knife". Saskia van Uylenburgh (1612-1642) was the wife of the Dutch painter Rembrandt.
Satan m Theology, Biblical, Biblical HebrewDerived from Hebrew
שָׂטָן (satan) meaning
"adversary". This is the Hebrew name of the enemy of the Judeo-Christian god. In the New Testament he is also known by the title
Devil (
Diabolos in Greek).
Satchel m English (Rare)From an English surname derived from Old English
sacc meaning
"sack, bag", referring to a person who was a bag maker. A famous bearer was the American baseball player Satchel Paige (1906-1982). In his case it was a childhood nickname acquired because he sold bags.
Sati f HinduismMeans
"truthful" in Sanskrit. In Hindu belief this was the name of a goddess, a wife of
Shiva. After her death she was reborn as the goddess
Parvati.
Satisha m HinduismMeans
"lord of Sati" from the name of the Hindu goddess
Sati combined with
ईश (isha) meaning "ruler". This is another name for the Hindu god
Shiva.
Satomi f JapaneseFrom Japanese
里 (sato) meaning "village" or
聡 (sato) meaning "intelligent, clever, bright" combined with
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Satoshi m JapaneseFrom Japanese
聡 (satoshi) meaning "intelligent, clever",
智 (satoshi) meaning "wisdom, intellect", or other kanji and kanji combinations that are read the same way.
Saturn m Roman Mythology (Anglicized)From the Latin
Saturnus, which is of unknown meaning. In Roman mythology he was the father of
Jupiter,
Juno and others, and was also the god of agriculture. This is also the name of the ringed sixth planet in the solar system.
Saul m Biblical, Jewish, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name
שָׁאוּל (Sha'ul) meaning
"asked for, prayed for". This was the name of the first king of Israel, as told in the Old Testament. Before the end of his reign he lost favour with God, and after a defeat by the Philistines he was succeeded by
David as king. In the New Testament, Saul was the original Hebrew name of the apostle
Paul.
Sauron m LiteratureMeans
"abhorred" in the fictional language Quenya. Sauron is a powerful evil being in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels, serving as the main antagonist in
The Lord of the Rings (1954). During the novels he appears as a disembodied lidless eye, though in earlier times he took on other forms.