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 (zaʿfarān), itself probably from Persian meaning "gold leaves".
Salah ad-Din m ArabicMeans
"righteousness of religion" from Arabic
صلاح (ṣalāḥ) meaning "righteousness" combined with
دين (dīn) 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.
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.
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] 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.
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.
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.
Satan m Theology, Biblical, Biblical HebrewDerived from Hebrew
שָׂטָן (saṭan) 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).
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.
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.
Saxon m English (Rare)From an English surname that was derived from the name of the Germanic tribe the Saxons, ultimately deriving from the Germanic word *
sahsą meaning "knife". This name can also be given in direct reference to the tribe.
Sayen f MapucheMeaning uncertain, possibly a derivative of Mapuche
ayün "love".
Schneeweißchen f LiteratureMeans
"snow white" in High German, thus a cognate of Low German
Sneewittchen (see
Snow White). This is the name of a peasant girl in the German folktale
Snow-White and Rose-Red, recorded by the Brothers Grimm in 1837. Her sister is
Rosenrot, translated into English as
Rose-Red. This story is distinct from the Grimms' earlier tale
Snow White.
Seán m IrishIrish form of
John, derived via the Old French form
Jehan.
Sean m Irish, EnglishAnglicized form of
Seán. This name name, along with variants
Shawn and
Shaun, began to be be used in the English-speaking world outside of Ireland around the middle of the 20th century.
Sebastian m German, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Finnish, Romanian, CzechFrom the Latin name
Sebastianus, which meant
"from Sebaste". Sebaste was the name a town in Asia Minor, its name deriving from Greek
σεβαστός (sebastos) meaning "venerable" (a translation of Latin
Augustus, the title of the Roman emperors). According to Christian tradition, Saint Sebastian was a 3rd-century Roman soldier martyred during the persecutions of the emperor Diocletian. After he was discovered to be a Christian, he was tied to a stake and shot with arrows. This however did not kill him. Saint Irene of Rome healed him and he returned to personally admonish Diocletian, whereupon the emperor had him beaten to death.
... [more] Sefton m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"town in the rushes" in Old English.
Selin f TurkishFrom Turkish
sel meaning
"flood, torrent" (a word of Arabic origin).
Selwyn m English (Rare)From a surname that was originally derived from an Old English given name, which was formed of the elements
sele "manor" and
wine "friend".
Senán m Irish, Old IrishMeans
"little old one", derived from Old Irish
sen "old" combined with a diminutive suffix. Saint Senán was a 6th-century monk who founded the monastery on Inis Cathaigh.
Seo-Hyeon f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
瑞 (seo) meaning "felicitous omen, auspicious" combined with
賢 (hyeon) meaning "virtuous, worthy, able". Other combinations of hanja characters can form this name as well.
Seo-Jun m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
瑞 (seo) meaning "felicitous omen, auspicious" or
舒 (seo) meaning "open up, unfold, comfortable, easy" combined with
俊 (jun) meaning "talented, handsome". This name can also be formed from other character combinations.
Seok-Jin m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
碩 (seok) meaning "large, great" and
珍 (jin) meaning "precious, rare". Other hanja characters can form this name as well.
Seon f & m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
善 (seon) meaning "good, virtuous" or
宣 (seon) meaning "declare, announce", as well as other hanja characters with the same pronunciation. It usually occurs in combination with another character, though it is sometimes used as a stand-alone name.
Seong-Hun m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
成 (seong) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" combined with
勛 (hun) meaning "meritorious deed, rank". Other hanja character combinations can form this name as well.
Seong-Hyeon m & f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
成 (seong) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" combined with
鉉 (hyeon), which refers to a device used to lift a tripod cauldron. Other hanja character combinations are possible.
Seong-Jin m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
成 (seong) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" or
星 (seong) meaning "star, planet" combined with
鎭 (jin) meaning "town, marketplace" or
震 (jin) meaning "shake, tremor, excite". Other hanja character combinations are also possible.
Seong-Min m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
成 (seong) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" or
性 (seong) meaning "nature, character, sex" combined with
敏 (min) meaning "quick, clever, sharp" or
旻 (min) meaning "quick, clever, sharp". Many other hanja character combinations are possible.
Seo-Yeon f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
瑞 (seo) meaning "felicitous omen, auspicious" combined with
娟 (yeon) or
妍 (yeon) both meaning "beautiful". Many other combinations of hanja characters can also form this name.
Seo-Yun f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
瑞 (seo) meaning "felicitous omen, auspicious" and
潤 (yun) meaning "soft, sleek", as well as other hanja character combinations.
Serapion m Ancient GreekFrom the name of the Greco-Egyptian god
Serapis. Saint Serapion was a 3rd-century patriarch of Antioch. This was also the name of a 13th-century saint, a Mercedarian friar who was martyred by pirates.
Seren f WelshMeans
"star" in Welsh. This is a recently created Welsh name.
Serhan m TurkishDerived from Turkish
ser meaning "head, top" and
han, which is from the title
khan meaning "leader".
Serkan m TurkishMeans
"leader, chief" from Turkish
ser "head, top" and
kan "blood".
Setiawan m IndonesianFrom Indonesian
setia meaning
"loyal, true", ultimately from Sanskrit
सत्य (satya), combined with the masculine suffix
-wan.
Sevan f & m ArmenianFrom the name of the largest lake in Armenia, which may be from the Urartian word
suinia simply meaning "lake".
Seven m & f English (Modern)From the English word for the number, derived from Old English
seofon (from an Indo-European root shared by Latin
septem and Greek
ἑπτά (hepta)).
Shaban m Arabic, AlbanianFrom the name of the eighth month of the Islamic calendar. It is derived from Arabic
شعب (shaʿaba) meaning "scatter".
Shahin m Persian, Arabic, BengaliMeans
"falcon" in Persian, referring more specifically to the Barbary falcon (species Falco pelegrinoides). The bird's name is a derivative of Persian
شاه (shāh) meaning "king".
Shahjahan m UrduMeans
"king of the world" from Persian
شاه (shāh) meaning "king" and
جهان (jahān) meaning "world". This was the name of the 17th-century Mughal emperor who built the Taj Mahal.
Shams ad-Din m ArabicMeans
"sun of the religion", from Arabic
شمس (shams) meaning "sun" and
دين (dīn) meaning "religion, faith". This was the given name of the 14th-century Berber explorer Ibn Battuta.
Shannon f & m EnglishFrom the name of the River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland, called
an tSionainn in Irish. It is associated with the legendary figure
Sionann and is sometimes said to be named for her. However it is more likely she was named after the river, which may be related to Old Irish
sen "old, ancient". As a given name, it first became common in America after the 1940s.
Sharon f & m English, HebrewFrom an Old Testament place name, in Hebrew
שָׁרוֹן (Sharon) meaning
"plain", referring to a fertile plain on the central west coast of Israel. This is also the name of a flowering plant in the Bible, the rose of Sharon, a term now used to refer to several different species of flowers.
... [more] Shaun m EnglishAnglicized form of
Seán. This is the more common spelling in the United Kingdom and Australia, while
Shawn is preferred in the United States and Canada (though it got a boost in America after the singer Shaun Cassidy released his debut album in 1976).
Shawn m & f EnglishAnglicized form of
Seán, occasionally used as a feminine form. This is the most common spelling of this name in the United States and Canada, with
Shaun being more typical in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Sheldon m EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"valley with steep sides" in Old English. Sheldon is the name of several locations in England.
Shelton m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"shelf town" in Old English.
Sheridan m & f EnglishFrom an Irish surname (Anglicized from Irish Gaelic
Ó Sirideáin), which was derived from the given name
Sirideán possibly meaning "searcher".
Sherman m EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"shear man", originally denoting a person who cut cloth. Famous bearers of the surname include American politician Roger Sherman (1721-1793) and American Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891).
Shin m JapaneseFrom Japanese
真 (shin) meaning "real, genuine" or other kanji with the same pronunciation.
Shion f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
紫苑 (shion) meaning "aster". It can also come from
詩 (shi) meaning "poem" and
音 (on) meaning "sound". Other kanji combinations can form this name as well.
Shirin f PersianMeans
"sweet" in Persian. This was the name of a character in Persian and Turkish legend.
Sholpan f KazakhMeans
"Venus (the planet)" in Kazakh. Sholpan and
Aiman are sisters in a 19th-century Kazakh epic poem, adapted into the play
Aiman-Sholpan (1934) by Mukhtar Auezov.
Shufen f ChineseFrom Chinese
淑 (shū) meaning "good, pure, virtuous, charming" combined with
芬 (fēn) meaning "fragrance, aroma, perfume". Other character combinations are possible as well.
Shun 1 f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
顺 (shùn) meaning "obey, submit" or other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Shun 2 f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
駿 (shun) meaning "fast",
俊 (shun) meaning "talented", or other kanji that are pronounced the same way.
Simeon m Biblical, Bulgarian, SerbianFrom
Συμεών (Symeon), the Old Testament Greek form of the Hebrew name
Shimʿon (see
Simon 1). In the Old Testament this is the name of the second son of
Jacob and
Leah and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. In the New Testament the Greek rendering
Σίμων (Simon) is more common, though
Συμεών occurs belonging to a man who blessed the newborn
Jesus. He is recognized as a saint in most Christian traditions.
... [more] Simón m SpanishSpanish form of
Simon 1. This name was borne by the South American revolutionary Simón Bolívar (1783-1830).
Simon 1 m English, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Hungarian, Slovene, Romanian, Macedonian, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekFrom
Σίμων (Simon), the New Testament Greek form of the Hebrew name
שִׁמְעוֹן (Shimʿon) meaning
"hearing, listening", derived from
שָׁמַע (shamaʿ) meaning "to hear, to listen". This name is spelled
Simeon, based on Greek
Συμεών, in many translations of the Old Testament, where it is borne by the second son of
Jacob. The New Testament spelling may show influence from the otherwise unrelated Greek name
Simon 2.
... [more] Simon 2 m Ancient Greek, Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
σιμός (simos) meaning
"flat-nosed". According to Greek mythology this was the name of one of the Telchines, demigods who were the original inhabitants of Rhodes.
Sin m Semitic MythologyFrom earlier Akkadian
Su'en, of unknown meaning. This was the name of the Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian god of the moon. He was closely identified with the Sumerian god
Nanna.
Sionann f Irish MythologyIn Irish legend this was the name of a granddaughter of the sea god
Lir who went to Connla's Well, which was forbidden. The well burst and drowned her, leaving her body in the river thereafter known as the
Sionainn (see
Shannon).
Siriporn f ThaiDerived from Thai
ศิริ (sir) meaning "glory, splendour" and
พร (phon) meaning "blessing".
Sivan f HebrewFrom the name of the ninth month of the Hebrew calendar (occurring in late spring). It was adopted from the Babylonian calendar, derived from Akkadian
simānu meaning "season, occasion".
Sixten m SwedishFrom the Old Norse name
Sigsteinn, which was derived from the elements
sigr "victory" and
steinn "stone".
Slaven m Croatian, SerbianMeans
"a Slav" in Croatian and Serbian, referring to the European people who speak one of the Slavic languages (which include Croatian and Serbian). The word is derived from Old Slavic *
slověninŭ.
Sneewittchen f LiteratureOlder form of
Schneewittchen (see
Snow White). This was the Low German form originally used by the Brothers Grimm for their adaptation of the folktale
Snow White.
Soan m French (Modern)Variant of
Sohan. It was popularized by the French singer Julien Decroix (1981-), also known as Soan.
Solon m Ancient GreekPossibly from Greek
σόλος (solos) meaning
"lump of iron". This was the name of an Athenian statesman who reformed the laws and government of the city.
Somboon m ThaiDerived from Thai
สม (som) meaning "worthy" and
บุญ (bun) meaning "merit".
Somporn m ThaiDerived from Thai
สม (som) meaning "worthy" and
พร (phon) meaning "blessing".
Sophron m Ancient GreekMeans
"self-controlled, sensible" in Greek. This name was borne by the 5th-century BC writer Sophron of Syracuse.
Søren m DanishDanish form of
Severinus. Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) was a Danish philosopher who is regarded as a precursor of existentialism.
Sorin m RomanianPossibly derived from Romanian
soare meaning
"sun".
Spyridon m Greek, Late GreekLate Greek name derived from Greek
σπυρίδιον (spyridion) meaning
"basket" or Latin
spiritus meaning
"spirit". Saint Spyridon was a 4th-century sheep farmer who became the bishop of Tremithus and suffered during the persecutions of Diocletian.
Stan 1 m EnglishShort form of
Stanley. A famous bearer was British comedian Stan Laurel (1890-1965).
Stefan m German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, Polish, Bulgarian, Serbian, MacedonianForm of
Stephen used in several languages. Famous bearers include the Serbian rulers Stefan Nemanja, Stefan Nemanjić, and Stefan Lazarević, who are all considered saints in the Orthodox Church.
Stellan m SwedishMeaning unknown, perhaps related to Old Norse
stilling "calm", or perhaps of German origin.
Stephen m English, BiblicalFrom the Greek name
Στέφανος (Stephanos) meaning
"crown, wreath", more precisely
"that which surrounds". Saint Stephen was a deacon who was stoned to death, as told in Acts in the New Testament. He is regarded as the first Christian martyr. Due to him, the name became common in the Christian world. It was popularized in England by the Normans.
... [more] Stetson m English (Modern)From an English surname that was originally derived from the name of the village of Stidston in Devon, meaning
"Stithweard's town". This is a type of wide-brimmed hat, originally made by the John B. Stetson Company.
Steven m English, DutchMedieval English variant of
Stephen, and a Dutch variant of
Stefan. The filmmaker Steven Spielberg (1946-), director of
E.T. and
Indiana Jones, is a famous bearer of this name.
Su-Bin f & m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
秀 (su) meaning "luxuriant, beautiful, elegant, outstanding" combined with
斌 (bin) meaning "refined". Other combinations of hanja characters can form this name as well.
Suellen f EnglishContraction of
Susan and
Ellen 1. Margaret Mitchell used this name in her novel
Gone with the Wind (1936), where it belongs to Scarlett's sister.
Su-Hyeon f & m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
秀 (su) meaning "luxuriant, beautiful, elegant, outstanding" and
賢 (hyeon) meaning "virtuous, worthy, able". Other combinations of hanja characters can also form this name.
Suijin m Japanese MythologyFrom Japanese
水 (sui) meaning "water" and
神 (jin) meaning "god, spirit". This is the name of the god (or gods) of water, lakes and pools in Japanese mythology.
Su-Jin f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
收 (su) meaning "gather, harvest" or
壽 (su) meaning "long life, lifespan" combined with
眞 (jin) meaning "real, genuine" or
珍 (jin) meaning "precious, rare". Other combinations of hanja characters can form this name as well.
Sukhon f ThaiMeans
"fragrance, pleasant smell" in Thai, ultimately of Pali origin.
Süleyman m Turkish, AzerbaijaniTurkish form of
Solomon. Süleyman the Magnificent was a sultan of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. He expanded Ottoman territory into Europe and Persia, reformed the government, and completed several great building projects.
Sullivan m English, FrenchFrom an Irish surname, the Anglicized form of
Ó Súileabháin, itself from the given name
Súileabhán, which was derived from Irish
súil "eye" and
dubh "dark, black" combined with a diminutive suffix. This name has achieved a moderate level of popularity in France since the 1970s. In the United States it was rare before the 1990s, after which it began climbing steadily. A famous fictional bearer of the surname was James P. Sullivan from the animated movie
Monsters, Inc. (2001).
Sultan m & f Arabic, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Urdu, Bengali, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Avar, IndonesianMeans
"ruler, king, sultan" in Arabic. In the Arab world this name is typically masculine, but Turkey it is given to both boys and girls.
Sun f & m KoreanAlternate transcription of Korean Hangul
선 (see
Seon).
Sunan m & f ThaiPossibly means
"good word" in Thai.
Suren m Parthian, ArmenianDerived from Avestan
𐬯𐬏𐬭𐬀 (sūra) meaning
"strong, powerful". This was the name of a Parthian noble family. A notable member was the military commander known as Suren or Surena, who defeated the Romans at the Battle of Carrhae in the 1st century BC.
Susan f EnglishEnglish variant of
Susanna. This has been most common spelling since the 18th century. It was especially popular both in the United States and the United Kingdom from the 1940s to the 1960s. A notable bearer was the American feminist Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906).
Sutton f & m English (Modern)From a surname, itself derived from the name of numerous English towns, of Old English origin meaning
"south town".
Swithin m HistoryFrom the Old English name
Swiðhun or
Swiþhun, derived from
swiþ "strong" and perhaps
hun "bear cub". Saint Swithin was a 9th-century bishop of Winchester.
Sylvan m EnglishEither a variant of
Silvanus or directly from the Latin word
silva meaning
"wood, forest".
Talfryn m WelshFrom a Welsh place name meaning
"front hill", derived from Welsh
tal "front, extremity" and
bryn "hill".
Taliesin m Welsh, Welsh MythologyMeans
"shining brow", derived from Welsh
tal "brow, head" and
iesin "shining, radiant". This was the name of a semi-legendary 6th-century Welsh poet and bard, supposedly the author of the collection of poems the
Book of Taliesin. He appears briefly in the Welsh legend
Culhwch and Olwen and the Second Branch of the
Mabinogi. He is the central character in the
Tale of Taliesin, a medieval legend recorded in the 16th century, which tells how
Ceridwen's servant Gwion Bach was reborn to her as Taliesin; how he becomes the bard for Elffin; and how Taliesin defends Elffin from the machinations of the king
Maelgwn Gwynedd.
Talin f ArmenianFrom the name of an Armenian town (meaning unknown), which is home to a famous 7th-century cathedral.
Talon m English (Modern)From the English word meaning
"talon, claw", ultimately derived (via Norman French) from Latin
talus "anklebone".
Taran m Welsh Mythology, PictishMeans
"thunder" in Welsh, from the old Celtic root *
toranos. It appears briefly in the Second Branch of the
Mabinogi. The name is cognate to that of the Gaulish god
Taranis. It was also borne by the 7th-century Pictish king Taran mac Ainftech.
Taron m ArmenianFrom the name of a region in historic Armenia (now in Turkey).
Tarquin m HistoryFrom
Tarquinius, a Roman name of unknown meaning, possibly Etruscan in origin. This was the name of two early kings of Rome.