Learn the meaning and origins of popular baby names that start with "S."
ByHedy Phillips
Updated on August 16, 2023
Fact checked byMarley Hall
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/BabyNames_S-a7332931b991410887a67180c38fee7e.png "34 Baby Names That Start With Letter \"S\" (1)")
If you're trying to come up with baby names and want to follow a theme, why not consider going by a specific letter? Perhaps you want all your kids to have names that start with the same letter, or perhaps you want their initials to spell out a word. In either case, a letter-by-letter guide to baby names can come in handy.
If you think baby names that start with "S" might fit the bill, there are plenty of unique names here, as well as plenty of popular names. There's something to suit just about any family so your baby names can stay on theme and your family's names can all stand out.
Sadie
- Origin:English
- Meaning: Princess
- Famous Namesakes: Stranger Things star Sadie Sink is one of the most famous people with this name.
- Peak Popularity: Sadie is an old-fashioned name that's come back into style. It peaked in 2014.
Sage
- Origin:English
- Meaning: Herb or prophet
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Saige
- Peak Popularity: Sage peaked in 2021.
Saint
- Origin:American
- Meaning: Holy person
- Famous Namesakes: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West named one of their kids Saint West.
- Peak Popularity: Saint continues to grow in popularity. Its biggest year so far was 2021.
Samantha
- Origin:American
- Meaning: God has heard, flower
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Sam
- Famous Namesakes: Comedian Samantha Bee and DJ Samantha Ronson
- Peak Popularity: Samantha was very popular in the 1980s and 1990s.
Samir
- Origin:Arabic
- Meaning: Companion in evening talk
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Sameer
- Peak Popularity: Samir was most popular in 2020.
Samuel
- Origin:Hebrew
- Meaning: His name is God
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Sam
- Famous Namesakes: Actors Sam Worthington and Sam Rockwell, musicians Sammy Davis Jr. and Sammy Hagar
- Peak Popularity: Samuel has been in the top 100 names for baby boys born in the United States since 1900. Its biggest year was 2018.
Sandra
- Origin:English
- Meaning: Defender of the people
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Sandy, Cassandra
- Famous Namesakes: Actresses Sandra Bullock, Sandra Bernhard, and Sandra Dee
- Peak Popularity: Sandra was a big name in the 1940s and 1950s.
Santiago
- Origin:Spanish
- Meaning: Of St. James
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Santi
- Peak Popularity: The name Santiago reached its top popularity in 2021.
Sara
- Origin:Hebrew
- Meaning: Princess
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Sarah
- Famous Namesakes: Actresses Sara Gilbert and Sara Ramirez, musician Sara Bareilles
- Peak Popularity: Sara's biggest year was 1981.
Sasha
- Origin:Russian
- Meaning: Defender of the people
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Sacha, Sascha
- Famous Namesakes: Actor Sacha Baron Cohen, Sasha Obama
- Peak Popularity: Sasha's most popular year was 1988.
Savannah
- Origin:Native American
- Meaning: Open plain
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Savanna
- Famous Namesakes: Today host Savannah Guthrie is one of the most well-known people with this name.
- Peak Popularity: Savannah has been popular ever since the early 1990s.
Sawyer
- Origin:English
- Meaning: Wood cutter
- Famous Namesakes: You may see Sawyer as a last name, like fictional character Tom Sawyer.
- Peak Popularity: The name Sawyer peaked in 2015.
Scarlett
- Origin:English
- Meaning: Red
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Scarlet
- Famous Namesakes: Actress Scarlett Johansson is one of the most famous people with this name.
- Peak Popularity: Scarlett has seen a huge boost in popularity in the 2010s.
Scott
- Origin:English
- Meaning: Person from Scotland
- Famous Namesakes: Actors Scott Patterson, Scott Bakula, and Scott Eastwood all share this name.
- Peak Popularity: Scott was popular in the 1960s and 1970s.
Sean
- Origin:Irish
- Meaning: God is gracious
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Shawn
- Famous Namesakes: Actors Sean Patrick Thomas, Sean Hayes, and Sean William Scott all share this name.
- Peak Popularity: Sean reached its peak popularity in 1972.
Sebastian
- Origin:Greek
- Meaning: Venerable
- Famous Namesakes: Marvel actor Sebastian Stan is one of the most famous people with this name.
- Peak Popularity: Sebastian has been a popular name since the 2010s.
Selena
- Origin:Spanish
- Meaning: Moon
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Celine
- Famous Namesakes: Singers Selena Gomez and Selena Quintanilla
- Peak Popularity: Selena reached its peak popularity in 1995—probably because of the Queen of Tejano music.
Sergei
- Origin:Russian
- Meaning: Servent
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Sergey
- Famous Namesakes: Composer Sergei Rachmaninoff is a famous person in history with this name.
- Peak Popularity: Sergei does not appear on the popular baby names list.
Shannon
- Origin:Irish
- Meaning: Straw worker
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Shanon, Shannen
- Famous Namesakes: Actresses Shannon Woodward and Shannen Doherty
- Peak Popularity: Shannon was a popular name in the 1960s and 1970s.
Shea
- Origin:Irish
- Meaning: Hawk
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Shay, Chez
- Peak Popularity: Shea reached its most popular point in 1997.
Sheridan
- Origin:Irish
- Meaning: To seek
- Peak Popularity: Sheridan's biggest year was 2001.
Shiloh
- Origin:Hebrew
- Meaning: His gift
- Famous Namesakes: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt named one of their children Shiloh.
- Peak Popularity: Shiloh peaked in 2021.
Sienna
- Origin:Italian
- Meaning: Reddish brown
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Siena
- Famous Namesakes: Actress Sienna Miller is one of the most famous people with this name.
- Peak Popularity: The name Sienna reached its most popular placement in 2021.
Silas
- Origin:Latin
- Meaning: Man of the forest
- Famous Namesakes: Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel named their first child Silas.
- Peak Popularity: Silas had its biggest year in 2021.
Simon
- Origin:Hebrew
- Meaning: God has heard
- Famous Namesakes: Actors Simon Pegg and Simon Baker, reality TV personality Simon Cowell
- Peak Popularity: Simon was a popular name in the early 1900s.
Skylar
- Origin:American
- Meaning: Scholar
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Skyler, Schuyler, Sky
- Famous Namesakes: Actor Skylar Astin is one of the most famous people with this name.
- Peak Popularity: Skylar peaked in 2016.
Slade
- Origin:English
- Meaning: Dweller in the valley
- Peak Popularity: Slade's biggest year so far was 2007.
Sloane
- Origin:Irish
- Meaning: Expedition
- Peak Popularity: Sloane continues to see a growth in popularity. Its biggest year was 2021.
Sophie
- Origin:French
- Meaning: Wisdom
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Sophia, Sofie, Sofia
- Famous Namesakes: Actresses Sophie Turner, Sophia Bush, Sophia Loren, and Sofia Vergara
- Peak Popularity: Sophie has been a popular name throughout the 2000s.
Stacy
- Origin:English
- Meaning: Resurrection
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Stacie, Stacey
- Famous Namesakes: Actress Stacy Keibler, reality TV personality Stacy London
- Peak Popularity: Stacy was a very popular name in the 1970s.
Stefano
- Origin:Italian
- Meaning: Crown
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Steven, Stephen
- Famous Namesakes: Fashion designer Stefano Gabbana is one of the most famous people with this name.
- Peak Popularity: Stefano has not yet appeared on the most popular baby names list.
Summer
- Origin:English
- Meaning: Summer
- Peak Popularity: Summer peaked in 1977.
Susannah
- Origin:Hebrew
- Meaning: Lily
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Suzannah, Susanna
- Peak Popularity: Susannah was popular in the 1970s.
Sydney
- Origin:French
- Meaning: Wide meadow
- Alternative Spellings & Variations: Sidney
- Famous Namesakes: Hockey player Sidney Crosby, actress Sydney Sweeney
- Peak Popularity: Sydney has been a popular name since the 1990s.
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