SEVERINUS m Ancient RomanRoman family name that was derived from
SEVERUS. Severinus was the name of many early saints, including a 6th-century Roman philosopher martyred by the Ostrogothic king Theodoric. It was also borne by a pope.
SEVERUS m Ancient RomanRoman family name meaning
"stern" in Latin. This name was borne by several early saints.
SEXTUS m Ancient RomanRoman praenomen, or given name, meaning
"sixth" in Latin. It was traditionally given to the sixth child.
SEYMOUR m EnglishFrom a Norman surname that originally belonged to a person coming from the French town of Saint Maur (which means "Saint
MAURUS").
SHADRACH m BiblicalMeans
"command of Aku" in Akkadian,
Aku being the name of the Babylonian god of the moon. In the Old Testament Shadrach is the Babylonian name of
Hananiah, one of the three men cast into a fiery furnace but saved by God.
SHAHID m Arabic, UrduMeans
"witness" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition
الشاهد (al-Shahid) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
SHAHIN m Persian, ArabicMeans
"falcon" in Persian, referring more specifically to the Barbary falcon (species Falco pelegrinoides). The bird's name is a derivative of Persian
شاه (shah) meaning "king".
SHAHJAHAN m UrduMeans
"king of the world" from Persian
شاه (shah) meaning "king" and
جهان (jahan) meaning "world". This was the name of the 17th-century Mughal emperor who built the Taj Mahal.
SHAHRAM m PersianMeans
"king Ram" in Persian. Ram (or Raman) is the name of a Yazata (or angel) in Zoroastrianism.
SHAHRAZAD f Persian (Rare), ArabicMeans
"free city" from the Persian elements
شهر (shahr) meaning "city" and
آزاد (azad) meaning "free". This is the name of the fictional storyteller in
The 1001 Nights. She tells a story to her husband the king every night for 1001 nights in order to delay her execution.
SHAHRIVAR m Persian MythologyModern Persian form of Avestan
Kshathra Vairya meaning
"desirable power". In Zoroastrianism this was the name of a god of metal and a protector of the weak. This is also the name of the sixth month of the Iranian calendar.
SHAHROKH m PersianMeans
"royal face" in Persian, from
شاه (shah) meaning "king" and
رخ (rokh) meaning "face". This was the name of a 15th-century ruler of the Timurid Empire (a son of
Timur).
SHAI m & f HebrewEither from Hebrew
שַׁי (Shai) meaning
"gift" or else a Hebrew diminutive of
ISAIAH.
SHAIMA f ArabicPossibly means
"beauty marks" in Arabic. This was the name of the daughter of
Halima, the foster mother of the Prophet
Muhammad.
SHAKA m HistoryFrom Zulu
uShaka, apparently from
ishaka, a stomach cramp caused by an intestinal parasite. This was the name of a Zulu warrior king (1787-1828), supposedly given because his unmarried mother Nandi and/or his father Senzangakhona blamed her pregnancy symptoms on the parasite.
SHAKTI f & m Hinduism, Indian, HindiMeans
"power" in Sanskrit. In Hinduism a shakti is the female counterpart of a god. The name Shakti is used in particular to refer to the female counterpart of
Shiva, also known as
Parvati among many other names.
SHAKUNTALA f Hinduism, Indian, Hindi, MarathiDerived from Sanskrit
शकुन्त (shakunta) meaning
"bird". This is the name of a character in Hindu legend, her story adapted by Kalidasa for the 5th-century play
Abhijnanashakuntalam. It tells how Shakuntala, who was raised in the forest by birds, meets and marries the king
Dushyanta. After a curse is laid upon them Dushyanta loses his memory and they are separated, but eventually the curse is broken after the king sees the signet ring he gave her.
SHAKUR m ArabicMeans
"thankful" in Arabic, from the root
شَكَرَ (shakara) meaning "to thank". In Islamic tradition
الشكور (al-Shakur) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
SHALIM m Semitic MythologyFrom the Semitic root
shalam meaning
"peace". This was the name of an Ugaritic god associated with the evening.
SHALVA m GeorgianMeaning unknown. This was the name of a 13th-century Georgian hero, considered a saint in the Georgian Church.
SHAMGAR m BiblicalPossibly means
"sword" in Hebrew. Shamgar was one of the Old Testament judges.
SHAMMURAMAT f Ancient AssyrianMeaning unknown, possibly derived from a Western Semitic language and meaning
"high heaven". Shammuramat was a 9th-century BC queen of Assyria. After her young son inherited the throne, she acted as his regent for five years. The legendary figure
Semiramis may be based on her.
SHAMS f Semitic MythologyMeans
"sun" in Arabic. This was a pre-Islamic Arabian goddess of the sun, identified with the Akkadian sun god
Shamash (whose name is related) and the northern Arabian goddess
Nuha.
SHANE m Irish, EnglishAnglicized form of
SEÁN. It came into general use in America after the release of the western movie
Shane (1953).
SHANI (2) m HinduismFrom the Sanskrit name of the planet Saturn. This is the name of a celestial Hindu god.
SHANIA f English (Modern)In the case of singer Shania Twain (1965-), who chose it as her stage name, she has claimed it was based on an Ojibwe phrase meaning
"on my way". This appears to be untrue.
SHANKARA m HinduismDerived from the Sanskrit elements
शम् (sham) meaning "auspicious, lucky" and
कर (kara) meaning "maker". This is another name of the Hindu god
Shiva. This was also the name of a 9th-century Indian religious philosopher also known as Shankaracharya.
SHANNON f & m EnglishFrom the name of the River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland, called
Abha an tSionainn in Irish. It is associated with the goddess
Sionann and is sometimes said to be named for her. However it is more likely the goddess 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.
SHAPOUR m PersianMeans
"son of the king" in Persian. This was the name of three Sassanid emperors.
SHARAR m BiblicalMeans
"enemy" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of the father of Ahiam.
SHARIAH m ArabicMeans
"divine law, noble law" in Arabic, ultimately from an old Arabic word meaning "pathway".
SHARON f EnglishFrom an Old Testament place name, in Hebrew
שָׁרוֹן (Sharon), which means
"plain", referring to the fertile plain near the coast of Israel. This is also the name of a type of flowering shrub, the rose of Sharon. It has been in use as a given name since the 1920s, possibly inspired by the heroine in the serial novel
The Skyrocket (1925) by Adela Rogers St. Johns.
SHAW (2) m ScottishFrom a Scottish surname that was itself derived from the Gaelic byname
Sithech meaning
"wolf".
SHAWNEE f English (Modern)Means
"southern people" in the Algonquin language. The Shawnee were an Algonquin tribe who originally lived in the Ohio valley.
SHAZIA f UrduMeaning unknown, possibly of Arabic origin meaning
"rare, unusual".
SHEALTIEL m BiblicalMeans
"I have asked of God" in Hebrew. This was the name of the father of Zerubbabel in the Old Testament.
SHEARD m English (Rare)From a surname that was originally from a place name meaning
"gap between hills" in Old English.
SHEBA m BiblicalMeans
"oath" in Hebrew. This is the name of several characters in the Old Testament. Also in the Bible, this is a place name, referring to a region in Ethiopia. The queen of Sheba visited Solomon after hearing of his wisdom.
SHEENA f Scottish, EnglishAnglicized form of
SÌNE. This name was popularized outside of Scotland in the 1980s by the singer Sheena Easton (1959-).
SHEKINAH f VariousFrom the Hebrew word
שׁכִינה (shekhinah) meaning
"God's manifested glory" or
"God's presence". This word does not appear in the Bible, but later Jewish scholars used it to refer to the dwelling place of God, especially the Temple in Jerusalem.
SHELBY m & f EnglishFrom a surname, which was possibly a variant of
SELBY. Though previously in use as a rare masculine name, it was popularized as a feminine name by the main character in the movie
The Woman in Red (1935). It was later reinforced by the movie
Steel Magnolias (1989) in which Julia Roberts played a character by this name.
SHELDON m EnglishFrom a 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.
SHELL f EnglishShort form of
MICHELLE or
SHELLEY. It can also be simply from the English word
shell (ultimately from Old English
sciell).
SHELLEY f & m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"clearing on a bank" in Old English. Two famous bearers of the surname were Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), a romantic poet whose works include
Adonais and
Ozymandias, and Mary Shelley (1797-1851), his wife, the author of the horror story
Frankenstein. As a feminine given name, it came into general use after the 1940s.
SHELTON m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"shelf town" in Old English.
SHEMAIAH m BiblicalMeans
"heard by YAHWEH" in Hebrew. This name is borne by many characters in the Old Testament including a prophet in the reign of
Rehoboam.
SHEMER m BiblicalPossibly means
"preserved" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of the owner of the hill upon which Samaria was built.
SHEPHERD m EnglishFrom an English occupational surname meaning
"sheep herder".
SHER m Urdu, PashtoMeans
"lion" in Persian. A famous bearer of this name was Sher Shah, a 16th-century Mughal ruler.
SHERAH f BiblicalMeans
"kinswoman" in Hebrew. This is the name of a daughter of
Ephraim in the Old Testament.
SHEREE f EnglishVariant of
SHERRY. This particular spelling was popularized by American actress Sheree North (1932-2005), who was born Dawn Shirley Crang.
SHERIDAN m & f EnglishFrom an Irish surname that was derived from
Ó Sirideáin meaning
"descendant of Sirideán". The name
Sirideán means "searcher" in Gaelic.
SHERLOCK m LiteratureUsed by Scottish author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for his character Sherlock Holmes, who was a detective in Doyle's mystery stories beginning in 1887. The character's name was from an English surname meaning "shear lock", originally referring to a person with closely cut hair.
SHERMAN m EnglishFrom a surname meaning
"shear man" in Old English, 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).
SHERRY f EnglishBefore the 20th century this was probably from the Irish surname
Ó Searraigh meaning
"descendant of Searrach" (a name meaning "foal" in Gaelic). Later it may have been reinforced by the French word
chérie meaning
"darling", or the English word
sherry, a type of fortified wine named from the Spanish town of Jerez. This name came into popular use during the 1920s, inspired by other similar-sounding names and by Collette's novels
Chéri (1920, English translation 1929) and
The Last of Chéri (1926, English translation 1932), in which it is a masculine name.
SHERWOOD m EnglishFrom an English place name (or from a surname that was derived from it) meaning
"bright forest". This was the name of the forest in which the legendary outlaw Robin Hood made his home.
SHI m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
时 (shí) meaning "time, era, season",
实 (shí) meaning "real, honest",
史 (shǐ) meaning "history" or
石 (shí) meaning "stone". Other characters can form this name as well.
SHICHIRŌ m JapaneseFrom Japanese
七 (shichi) meaning "seven" and
郎 (rō) meaning "son". This was traditionally a name given to the seventh son. Other kanji combinations can be possible.
SHIGERU m JapaneseFrom Japanese
茂 (shigeru) meaning "lush, luxuriant", as well as other kanji having the same reading. A famous bearer is the Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto (1952-).
SHILOH m & f BiblicalFrom an Old Testament place name possibly meaning
"tranquil" in Hebrew. It is also used prophetically in the Old Testament to refer to a person, often understood to be the Messiah (see
Genesis 49:10). This may in fact be a mistranslation. This name was brought to public attention after actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt gave it to their daughter in 2006.
SHIN m JapaneseFrom Japanese
真 (shin) meaning "real, genuine" or other kanji with the same pronunciation.
SHINGO m JapaneseFrom Japanese
真 (shin) meaning "real, genuine" or
慎 (shin) meaning "prudent, careful" combined with
吾 (go) meaning "I, me". Other combinations of kanji can form this name as well.
SHIN'ICHI m JapaneseFrom Japanese
真 (shin) meaning "real, genuine" or
新 (shin) meaning "fresh, new" combined with
一 (ichi) meaning "one". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
SHINOBU f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
忍 (shinobu) meaning "endurance", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations having the same pronunciation.
SHINSUKE m JapaneseFrom Japanese
伸 (shin) meaning "extend, stretch, open" or
真 (shin) meaning "real, genuine" combined with
介 (suke) meaning "forerunner, herald". This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji characters.
SHIN'YA m JapaneseFrom Japanese
真 (shin) meaning "real, genuine" combined with
也 (ya) meaning "also", as well as other kanji combinations having 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.
SHIORI f & m JapaneseAs a feminine name it can be from Japanese
詩 (shi) meaning "poem" combined with
織 (ori) meaning "weave". It can also be from
栞 (shiori) meaning "bookmark" (usually feminine) or
撓 (shiori) meaning "lithe, bending" (usually masculine), as well as other kanji or kanji combinations.
SHIPHRAH f BiblicalMeans
"beautiful" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of one of the midwives who disobeys the Pharaoh's order to kill any Hebrew boys they deliver.
SHIRIN f PersianMeans
"sweet" in Persian. This was the name of a character in Persian and Turkish legend.
SHIRLEY f & m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"bright clearing" in Old English. This is the name of a main character in Charlotte Brontë's semi-autobiographical novel
Shirley (1849). The child actress Shirley Temple (1928-2014) helped to popularize this name.
SHIRŌ m JapaneseFrom Japanese
四 (shi) meaning "four" and
郎 (rō) meaning "son". This was traditionally a name for the fourth son. Other kanji combinations are possible.
SHIVA (1) m Hinduism, Indian, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, NepaliDerived from Sanskrit
शिव (shiva) meaning
"benign, kind, auspicious". Shiva is the Hindu god of destruction and restoration, the husband of the mother goddess
Parvati. His aspect is usually terrifying, but it can also be gentle.
SHIZUKA f JapaneseFrom Japanese
静 (shizu) meaning "quiet" combined with
夏 (ka) meaning "summer" or
香 (ka) meaning "fragrance". Other kanji combinations are possible.
SHO m JapaneseAlternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
翔 or
奨 (see
SHŌ).
SHŌ m JapaneseFrom Japanese
翔 (shō) meaning "soar, glide" or
奨 (shō) meaning "prize, reward". Other kanji with identical pronunciations can also form this name.
SHŌHEI m JapaneseFrom Japanese
翔 (shō) meaning "soar, glide" and
平 (hei) meaning "level, even, peaceful", in addition to other combinations of kanji that are pronounced the same way.