Life
Simply speaking, I'm so satisfied seeing the score of sibilant, smooth-sounding... OK, enough of that silliness. Getting to the point: When you're searching through the baby books looking for the perfect name, it's hard not to stop and spend several hours on all the wonderful baby names beginning with S. I admit I'm a bit prejudiced on the subject, being an S girl myself, but there's such a fun variety of choices from cultures all over the world that you're bound to find at least a few to love. The softness of the S sound feels good on the ear, as does the "sh" blend (ahem). Names with an S followed by a hard consonant have a more powerful impact; think Skyler or Stephen.
For this list, I left out some of the great-but-really-obvious choices. You've probably already thought about Sarah, Samuel, Samantha, Sophia, and Sebastian anyway. And a few offbeat S names are now permanently associated with certain celebrities' children, so think twice before going with Suri, Saint, or Sir unless you want to hear a lot of "Hey, isn't that the name of so-and-so's kid?"
You'll also want to consider such issues as how well the name goes with your last name, and whether that cute baby name will age well, advised Moms Who Think. Choosing an "S" quality as a name might lead to subconscious expectations; when your toddler has a shrieking meltdown in the middle of Target's toy aisle, you might wonder what on earth you were thinking when you named her Serenity.
Here are some super, sweet, sublime, sensible, shining, snazzy... fine, I'll stop now so you can read just a sample of the fine S names to choose from.
1
Saoirse
Thanks to actress Saoirse Ronan, this classic Celtic name is getting more attention in the U.S. Pronounced SEER-sha, it means "freedom," according to Baby Names.
2
Sergio
A Latin-derived name that may mean "soldier," according to Baby Name Wizard, Sergio is popular in many European and South American countries, but wouldn't be out of place on this side of the globe. The nickname Serge also sounds cool for a boy.
3
Spurgeon
This Scandinavian name means "little twig," according to Baby Names. It's also the name chosen by Jessa Duggar Seewald of 19 Kids and Counting, but it's not yet so trendy that your son will be just one of a Spurgeon crowd in school.
5
Samara
If you love the nicknames Sam or Sammie for a girl baby, you could bypass the more common Samantha in favor of this name, which is a Biblical name for "watch mountain," per Mom365.
6
Sigrid
Meaning "fair victory," Sigrid is a Norse name that fits especially well if your family has Scandinavian roots, noted Nameberry.
7
Silas
From the Latin for "wood" or "forest," according to Nameberry, the name is also associated with the biblical story of Silas, who accompanied the apostle Paul on his second missionary journey.
8
Safiya
The Arabic name meaning "pure," per Baby Names, sounds close enough to Sophia to make it a pretty alternative. Or try Saffiyya, which Nameberry noted is Arabic for "confidante" or "close friend."
9
Scout
A super-cool name that comes from an even cooler source: the classic book To Kill a Mockingbird. Although the book's protagonist is a girl, Scout is unisex enough to work for a boy as well.
10
Sadie
This sweet S falls under the category of popular vintage-hip names. It's a diminutive of Sarah, meaning "princess," according to Nameberry, but the site noted that this name has a spunkier sound that appeals to many.
11
Seamus
The Irish version of James, meaning "supplanter," per Baby Names, is a fine option for parents who love a Celtic sound.
12
Shea
Another Irish name meaning "the stately, dauntless one," according to Nameberry, this is an alternative to Seamus — and it can be used for either a boy or girl.
13
Sierra
Not as popular as it was in its heyday in the '90s and early 2000s, this Spanish name meaning "saw" still has a cool Western vibe and is good for families who like nature-inspired names.
14
Stellan
An "up-and-comer" name, according to Nameberry, Stellan is of Swedish origin and means "calm." The actor Stellan Skarsgard is no doubt responsible for the surge in popularity.
15
Sawyer
This occupational name meaning "timber cutter," per SheKnows, is also forever associated with Mark Twain's immortal Tom Sawyer. Its popularity as a boy's name has been steadily rising in recent years, noted Baby Center, but it's gaining favor as a girl's name, too.
16
Shana
Yep, I went there. But really, why not? This versatile name is Hebrew for "beautiful," according to Nameberry, and can alternately be spelled Shayna or Shaina, if you want to make sure people pronounce it right the first time. In my case, however, the name rhymes with "Donna," since it's actually a nickname for another gorgeous S name: Shoshanah, which means "rose" or "lily," per Baby Names.
