This is a list of names in which the number of syllables is 2.
Ryōsuke m JapaneseFrom Japanese
亮 (ryō) meaning "clear" combined with
介 (suke) meaning "help, assist". Other combinations of kanji having the same reading can also form this name.
Ryōta m JapaneseFrom Japanese
涼 (ryō) meaning "cool, refreshing",
亮 (ryō) meaning "clear" or
良 (ryō) meaning "good" combined with
太 (ta) meaning "thick, big, great". This name can also be formed of other kanji combinations.
Ryūji m JapaneseFrom Japanese
竜 or 龍 (ryū) meaning "dragon" or
隆 (ryū) meaning "noble, prosperous" combined with
二 (ji) meaning "two" or
司 (ji) meaning "officer, boss". This name can also be formed using other kanji combinations.
Ryuuji m JapaneseAlternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
竜二 or
龍二 or
隆二 or
竜司 or
龍司 or
隆司 or
竜次 or
龍次 or
竜児 or
龍児 (see
Ryūji).
Saana f FinnishFrom the name of a mountain in northern Finland.
Sabas m SpanishFrom the Greek name
Σάββας (Sabbas), which was derived from Aramaic
סַבָא (sava') meaning
"old man, grandfather". Saints bearing this name include a 4th-century Gothic martyr, a 5th-century Cappadocian hermit, and a 12th-century archbishop of Serbia who is the patron saint of that country.
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.
Sadaf f ArabicMeans
"seashell, mother-of-pearl" in Arabic.
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".
Safaa f & m ArabicMeans
"pure", from Arabic
صفا (safa). As-Safaa is the name of one of the two sacred hills near Mecca. This can also be an alternate transcription of Arabic
صفاء (see
Safaa').
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".
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.
Sajjad m ArabicMeans
"kneeling in prayer, prostration" in Arabic.
Sakchai m ThaiDerived from Thai
ศักดิ์ (sak) meaning "power, honour" and
ชัย (chai) meaning "victory".
Saki f JapaneseFrom Japanese
咲 (sa) meaning "blossom" and
希 (ki) meaning "hope", besides other combinations of kanji characters.
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.
Samar 1 f ArabicMeans
"evening conversation" in Arabic, from the root
سمر (samara) meaning "to talk in the evening".
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.
Sandra f Italian, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Czech, RomanianShort form of
Alessandra. It was introduced to the English-speaking world (where it is usually used independently of
Alexandra) by author George Meredith, who used it for the heroine in his novel
Emilia in England (1864) and the reissued version
Sandra Belloni (1887). A famous bearer is the American actress Sandra Bullock (1964-).
Sandro m Italian, GeorgianShort form of
Alessandro (Italian) or
Aleksandre (Georgian). Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) was an Italian Renaissance artist, the painter of
The Birth of Venus and other famous works.
Sanford m EnglishFrom an English surname, originally from a place name, which meant
"sand ford" in Old English.
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.
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.
Sara f Greek, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, Catalan, Galician, Romanian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian, Macedonian, Polish, English, Hebrew, Arabic, Persian, Biblical GreekForm of
Sarah used in various languages.
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] 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.
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.
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.
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.
Sawda f ArabicPossibly means
"palm-tree garden" in Arabic. This was the name of a wife of the Prophet
Muhammad. She was said to have lived for a time in Abyssinia (modern Ethiopia and Eritrea).
Sawyer m & f English (Modern)From an English surname meaning
"sawer of wood". Mark Twain used it for the hero in his novel
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).
... [more] 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.
Saylor f English (Modern)From an English surname that was derived from Old French
sailleor meaning
"acrobat, dancer". As a modern English given name it could also come from the homophone vocabulary word
sailor.
Sayyid m ArabicMeans
"lord, master" in Arabic. A famous bearer was the Egyptian musician Sayyid Darwish (1892-1923).
Scarlett f EnglishFrom an English surname that denoted a person who sold or made clothes made of scarlet (a kind of cloth, possibly derived from Persian
سقرلاط (saqrelat)). Margaret Mitchell used it for the main character, Scarlett O'Hara, in her novel
Gone with the Wind (1936). Her name is explained as having come from her grandmother. Despite the fact that the book was adapted into a popular movie in 1939, the name was not common until the 21st century. It started rising around 2003, about the time that the career of American actress Scarlett Johansson (1984-) started taking off.
Schuyler m & f EnglishFrom a Dutch surname meaning
"scholar". Dutch settlers brought the surname to America, where it was subsequently adopted as a given name in honour of the American general and senator Philip Schuyler (1733-1804).
Sefton m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"town in the rushes" in Old English.
Seija f FinnishDerived from Finnish
seijas meaning
"tranquil, serene".
Seiko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
聖 (sei) meaning "holy, sacred" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations can also form this name.
Sekhmet f Egyptian MythologyFrom Egyptian
sḫmt, derived from
sḫm meaning
"powerful" and a feminine
t suffix. Sekhmet was an Egyptian warrior goddess, also associated with healing, violence and plague. She was commonly depicted with the head of a lioness, and was sometimes conflated with the cat-headed goddess
Bastet.
Sela f English (Rare)From the name of a city, the capital of Edom, which appears in the Old Testament. It means "rock" in Hebrew.
Selah f BiblicalFrom a Hebrew musical term that occurs many times in the Old Testament Psalms. It was probably meant to indicate a musical pause.
Selby m & f English (Rare)From an English surname that was from a place name meaning
"willow farm" in Old Norse.
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".
Seo-A f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
瑞 (seo) meaning "felicitous omen, auspicious" combined with
雅 (a) meaning "elegant, graceful, refined" or
娥 (a) meaning "good, beautiful". Other combinations of hanja characters can also form this name.
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.
Seong-Ho m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
成 (seong) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" or
盛 (seong) meaning "abundant, flourishing" combined with
鎬 (ho) meaning "stove, bright" or
晧 (ho) meaning "daybreak, bright". Many other hanja character combinations are possible.
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 & f 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.
Seong-Su m KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
成 (seong) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" or
聖 (seong) meaning "holy, sacred" combined with
洙 (su), which refers to a river in China. 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.
Seren f WelshMeans
"star" in Welsh. This is a recently created Welsh name.
Serket f Egyptian MythologyFrom Egyptian
srqt, possibly meaning
"she who lets throats breathe", from
srq meaning "to open the windpipe, to breathe" and a feminine
t suffix. In Egyptian mythology she was the goddess of scorpions as well as the healing of poisonous stings and bites. Eventually she came to be identified with
Isis, becoming an aspect of her over time.
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)).
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").
Shaban m Arabic, AlbanianFrom the name of the eighth month of the Islamic calendar. It is derived from Arabic
شعب (sha'aba) meaning "scatter".
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".
Shaima f ArabicPossibly means
"beauty marks" in Arabic. This was the name of the daughter of
Halimah, the foster mother of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Shakur m ArabicMeans
"thankful" in Arabic, from the root
شكر (shakara) meaning "to thank". In Islamic tradition
الشكور (al-Shakur) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
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.
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] Shawnee f English (Modern)Means
"southern people" in the Algonquin language. The Shawnee were an Algonquin tribe who originally lived in the Ohio valley.
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-).
Shelby m & f EnglishFrom an English 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 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.
Shelley f & m EnglishFrom an English 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.
Shepherd m EnglishFrom an English occupational surname meaning
"sheep herder, shepherd".
Sheree f EnglishVariant of
Sherry or
Cherie. This particular spelling was popularized by American actress Sheree North (1932-2005), who was born Dawn Shirley Crang.