Girl names that start with S run from favorites like Sophia, Scarlett, Stella and Sadie to rare picks like Sybella, Ségolène and Sophronia, and this list of 131 gives a checked origin and meaning for every one.
S is one of the strongest letters for naming a daughter. It holds two names in the current U.S. top 10 (Sophia at No. 5 and Sofia at No. 9 for babies born in 2025, according to the Social Security Administration), plus biblical classics, star and flower names, and names from languages around the world.
We grouped these S girl names by style: classic, unique, short, long, vintage, nature, mythology, biblical, international and gender neutral. Then come the S, SH and Z sounds, nicknames, sibling and middle name ideas, and a quick initials check.
Key Takeaways
- Sophia (No. 5) and Sofia (No. 9) are the two S names in the SSA top 10 for girls born in 2025.
- Familiar S names for girls include Scarlett, Stella, Sadie, Sarah, Savannah, Sienna and Summer.
- Rare options include Sybella, Ségolène, Sophronia, Sotiria, Santina and Svenja.
- Not every S sounds like S: Siobhán and Síle start with SH, and German speakers say Sarah with a Z sound.
- Test your favorite with the initials, say it out loud, spelling and nickname checks before you decide.
Table of Contents
Girl Names That Start With S at a Glance
Quick Answer
Every origin and meaning on this page was checked against the name’s own entry on Behind the Name in October 2026. Where the reference calls a meaning unknown or uncertain, we say so.
These are the best known baby girl names that start with S. For ideas beyond one letter, browse our main list of baby girl names, or compare with girl names that start with A and girl names that start with C.
| Name | Origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Sophia | English, Greek, German, Dutch, Ancient Greek | “Wisdom” in Greek; long used by European royalty, and the No. 5 girls’ name in the U.S. for 2025 |
| Sofia | Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Finnish, Russian and more | Form of Sophia used in many languages; No. 9 for U.S. girls in 2025 |
| Scarlett | English | From an English surname for someone who made or sold scarlet, a type of cloth; made famous by Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind (1936) |
| Stella | English, Italian, Dutch, German | “Star” in Latin; coined by the poet Philip Sidney for his 16th-century sonnets Astrophel and Stella |
| Sadie | English | Diminutive of Sarah |
| Sarah | English, French, German, Hebrew, Arabic, biblical and more | “Lady, princess, noblewoman” in Hebrew; the wife of Abraham in the Old Testament |
| Savannah | English | From the English word for a grassy plain, which comes from the Taíno word sabana |
| Sienna | English (modern) | From the English word for an orange-red color, named after the Italian city of Siena and the color of its clay |
| Serenity | English (modern) | From the English word; from Latin serenus, “clear, calm” |
| Summer | English | From the name of the season (Old English sumor); used as a given name since the 1970s |
| Sloane | English (modern) | From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Sluaghadháin |
| Samantha | English, Italian, Dutch | Possibly a feminine form of Samuel with the suffix antha, which may echo Greek anthos, “flower” |
| Sophie | French, English, German, Dutch | French form of Sophia |
| Selena | Spanish, English | Latinized form of Selene, the Greek word for “moon” |
| Sabrina | English, Italian, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese | Latinized form of Habren, the old Welsh name of the River Severn; the river’s own meaning is unknown |
| Sylvia | English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish | Variant of Silvia; the most common English spelling since the 19th century |
| Sierra | English (modern) | From the Spanish word for a mountain range with jagged peaks |
| Saylor | English (modern) | From an English surname taken from Old French sailleor, “acrobat, dancer”; it can also echo the word sailor |
| Stephanie | English, German | Feminine form of Stephen, from Greek stephanos: “crown, wreath” |
| Sonia | English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish | Variant of Sonya, a Russian diminutive of Sophia |
Sophia and Sofia are counted separately because the Social Security Administration (SSA) does not combine different spellings of similar names. Add the two together and the name is even more common than either rank suggests, which is worth knowing if you want a name your daughter will rarely share in a classroom.
Three old names sit behind a large share of this letter. If you like one member of a family, look at the others too:
- The Sarah family: Sarah, Sadie, Sally, Suri, Sarit and Saara all come from the Hebrew Sarah: “lady, princess, noblewoman”.
- The Sophia family: Sophia, Sofia, Sophie, Sonya and Sonia all trace back to the Greek word for “wisdom”.
- The Susanna family: Susanna, Susannah, Susan, Susie, Suki and Sanna go back to Hebrew Shoshanna, “lily”.
Unique and Rare Girl Names That Start With S
Looking for unique girl names that start with S? Behind the Name marks several of these as rare in English, and the rest are uncommon in the United States. Some come from French, Greek, Italian, Finnish, German and Turkish, so they will sound fresh in an American classroom while being ordinary in their home language.
| Name | Origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Sybella | English (rare) | Variant of Sibylla, the Greek source of Sibyl: “prophetess” |
| Sailor | English (rare) | Less common spelling of Saylor |
| Selma | English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic | Meaning unknown; possibly a short form of Anselma, and perhaps inspired by Selma, a castle in James Macpherson’s 18th-century Ossian poems |
| Salome | English (rare), German (rare), Georgian, biblical | From an Aramaic name related to Hebrew shalom: “peace” |
| Sophronia | Literature, Late Greek | Feminine form of Sophronius; used by Torquato Tasso in his epic poem Jerusalem Delivered (1580) |
| Ségolène | French | From the Germanic name Sigilina, a diminutive built on sigu: “victory”; a 7th-century saint from Albi |
| Sotiria | Greek | Feminine form of Sotirios |
| Santina | Italian | Feminine diminutive of Santo |
| Siiri | Estonian, Finnish | Diminutive of Sigrid |
| Svenja | German | German feminine form of Sven |
| Selin | Turkish | Meaning uncertain; a 20th-century creation, perhaps from Turkish words for “clean, pure, beautiful” or “stream”, or from Selene |
A rare name can be easy to live with. Sailor and Sybella are spelled the way they sound in English, and Santina and Svenja are simple once you hear them. Ségolène, Sotiria and Selin may need a quick spelling at the doctor’s office.
To see where a name stands, use the Popularity of a Name search on the SSA baby names page. The SSA leaves names with fewer than 5 occurrences out of its lists to protect privacy, so the rarest names never show up. More ideas: our unique girl names guide.
Short S Names for Girls (4 Letters)
Short S names are quick to write and pair well with a long surname or a long middle name. Most of these started as short forms of longer names, so they come with history even though they look modern.
| Name | Origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Suki | English | Diminutive of Susanna or Susan |
| Siri | Swedish, Norwegian, Danish | Short form of Sigrid |
| Suri | Yiddish | Yiddish form of Sarah |
| Sana | Arabic | Alternate transcription of Sanaa: “brilliance, radiance, splendor” in Arabic |
| Satu | Finnish | “Fairy tale, fable” in Finnish |
| Sela | English (rare) | From an Old Testament city, the capital of Edom: “rock” in Hebrew |
More short S names live in other tables on this page so that each name appears once: Sage, Sky, Sora, Shea and Sasha are listed as gender neutral, Sif and Saga sit with the mythology names, and Sita is there too. Sana is a nice crossover pick, simple to say in English and meaningful in Arabic.
Long, Elegant and Vintage S Names
Long S names give you a formal option plus built-in nicknames. Seraphina can become Sera, Susanna can become Sanna or Susie, and Svetlana has the Russian short forms Lana and Sveta.
| Name | Origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Seraphina | English (rare), German (rare), Late Roman | Feminine form of Seraphinus, from the biblical seraphim: “fiery ones” in Hebrew; a 13th-century Italian saint who made clothes for the poor |
| Susannah | Biblical | Form of Susanna found in some versions of the Old Testament |
| Susanna | Italian, Catalan, Swedish, Finnish, Dutch, English, biblical and more | From Hebrew Shoshanna, “lily” (also “rose” in modern Hebrew), possibly from an Egyptian word for “lotus” |
| Scholastica | Late Roman | From Latin scholasticus: “rhetorician, orator”; Saint Scholastica was the sister of Saint Benedict |
| Stephania | English | Latinate feminine form of Stephen |
| Svetlana | Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Slovak, Latvian and more | From the Russian word svet: “light, world”; popularized by Vasily Zhukovsky’s 1813 poem Svetlana |
These vintage picks feel familiar from older generations. Several are short forms of Sarah and Susanna that took on lives of their own.
| Name | Origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Sally | English | Diminutive of Sarah, long used on its own |
| Susan | English | English form of Susanna; the most common form since the 18th century |
| Susie | English | Diminutive of Susan |
| Sherry | English | Probably from French chérie, “darling”, or from the English word sherry; popular from the 1920s |
| Sibyl | English | From Greek Sibylla: “prophetess”; brought to England by the Normans and revived in the 19th century |
| Sonya | Russian, English | Russian diminutive of Sophia; a character in Tolstoy’s War and Peace |
If you love Sally or Susie but worry it sounds dated, try it with a longer middle name and say the full name out loud for a few days. Susan, for example, can sit comfortably beside a more ornate middle such as Seraphina.
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Nature S Names: Herbs, Gems, Stars and Flowers
Many pretty girl names that start with S come from the natural world, and S is especially rich in sky names. Every meaning below is the one the name’s entry gives. For more, see our girl names that start with M, a letter with plenty of nature names of its own.
| Name | Origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Saffron | English (rare) | The spice, the crocus it comes from, or its yellow-orange color; the word goes back through Arabic, probably to Persian |
| Sorrel | English (rare) | A sour-tasting plant; from Old French sur, “sour” |
| Soleil | Various | “Sun” in French; not commonly used as a given name in France itself |
| Sapphire | English (modern) | The gemstone, usually blue, and the traditional birthstone for September |
| Seren | Welsh | “Star” in Welsh; a recently created name |
| Setareh | Persian | “Star” in Persian |
| Swati | Hindi, Marathi | The Indian name for the star known in the West as Arcturus |
| Sahar | Arabic, Persian | “Dawn” in Arabic |
| Simin | Persian | “Silvery” in Persian |
| Sumire | Japanese | “Violet (flower)”; often written in hiragana |
| Sakura | Japanese | “Cherry blossom”; it can also be written with characters for “blossom” plus “good” |
If you want a star name, S gives you one in four languages: Stella in Latin, Seren in Welsh, Setareh in Persian and Swati, the Indian name of the star Arcturus. Sahar means dawn, Simin means silvery and Soleil means sun. Several familiar names in the first table belong here in spirit too: Summer is the season, Savannah is a grassy plain, Sierra is a mountain range and Sienna is an orange-red color.
Mythology, Literature and Biblical S Names
These names come from Greek, Norse, Inuit and Hindu traditions, plus one name from literature. For Sedna the reference gives no known meaning, and Saga’s meaning is given only as a possibility.
| Name | Origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Selene | Greek mythology | “Moon” in Greek; the Titan goddess of the moon |
| Saga | Norse mythology, Swedish, Icelandic | Possibly “seeing one”; a Norse goddess; in Swedish and Icelandic it also matches the word saga, “story” |
| Sif | Norse mythology, Danish, Icelandic | Old Norse, Danish and Icelandic form of Siv |
| Sigyn | Norse mythology | “Victory” plus “friend” in Old Norse; the loyal wife of Loki |
| Sedna | New World mythology | Meaning unknown; the Inuit goddess of the sea and sea animals; a dwarf planet was named for her in 2004 |
| Sita | Hinduism, Hindi, Nepali | “Furrow” in Sanskrit; a harvest goddess in the Rigveda and the wife of Rama in the Ramayana |
| Saraswati | Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi | “Possessing water” in Sanskrit; a river goddess linked with learning and the arts |
| Savitri | Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi | A Sanskrit name related to the sun; in the Mahabharata, the wife who persuades Yama to restore her husband’s life |
| Scheherazade | Literature | Anglicized form of Shahrazad |
Biblical girl names that start with S include some of the best known names on this page. Sarah, the wife of Abraham, is in the first table, and Susanna appears in the Old Testament Apocrypha and the New Testament. Salome, listed with the unique names, was borne by a New Testament woman who witnessed the crucifixion. Sharon and Shiloh are Old Testament place names, and Sela is an Old Testament city. The table below adds a few more.
| Name | Origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Sapphira | Biblical | From Greek sappheiros, “sapphire” or “lapis lazuli”, from Hebrew sappir; a woman in the Book of Acts |
| Shifra | Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew | Hebrew form of Shiphrah |
| Syntyche | Biblical, Ancient Greek | From Greek syntychia: “occurrence, event”; a woman named in Paul’s letter to the Philippians |
| Selah | Biblical | A Hebrew musical term found many times in the Psalms, most likely marking a pause; its etymology is uncertain |
| Shulamit | Hebrew | Modern Hebrew form of Shulammite |
| Sarit | Hebrew | Hebrew diminutive of Sarah |
Selah is a good example of why we print what the reference says and nothing more. It is a musical word from the Psalms, it most likely marked a pause, and its exact origin is uncertain.
International S Names by Language
Origins below use the reference’s own usage labels. Many of these are local forms of names you already know: Salomé, Silvia, Stefania and Serafina are the French, Italian and Spanish relatives of Salome, Sylvia, Stephanie and Seraphina.
| Name | Origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Solène | French | Variant of Solange |
| Solange | French, Portuguese | From Latin Sollemnia, from sollemnis: “religious”; a French shepherdess saint |
| Séverine | French | French feminine form of Severinus |
| Sandrine | French | French diminutive of Sandra |
| Sylvie | French, Czech | French and Czech form of Silvia |
| Sidonie | French | French feminine form of Sidonius |
| Salomé | French, Spanish, Portuguese | Form of Salome: related to shalom, “peace” |
| Simone | French, English, German, Dutch, Danish, Portuguese | French feminine form of Simon, from Hebrew: “hearing, listening” |
| Silvia | Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, German, English | Feminine form of Silvius; Rhea Silvia is the mother of Romulus and Remus in Roman legend |
| Simona | Italian, Czech, Slovak, Romanian, Lithuanian and more | Feminine form of Simon |
| Stefania | Italian, Polish, Greek | Feminine form of Stephen: “crown, wreath” |
| Silvana | Italian, Ancient Roman | Feminine form of Silvanus |
| Serafina | Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (rare) | Form of Seraphina |
| Soledad | Spanish | “Solitude”, from the title María de la Soledad |
| Socorro | Spanish | “Relief, help”, from the title María del Socorro |
| Sabina | Italian, Spanish, Polish, Czech, Russian, Swedish and more | Feminine form of Sabinus: “a Sabine”, one of an ancient people of central Italy |
| Saoirse | Irish | “Freedom” in Irish; first used as a given name in the 20th century |
| Siobhán | Irish | Irish form of Jehanne, a Norman French form of Jeanne (from Hebrew: “God is gracious”) |
| Sorcha | Irish, Scottish Gaelic | Something like “radiant” or “bright” in Irish; in use since the late Middle Ages |
| Síle | Irish | Irish form of Cecilia |
| Sioned | Welsh | Welsh form of Janet |
| Sigrid | Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, German, Estonian | “Victory” plus “beautiful, beloved” in Old Norse |
| Signe | Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Estonian, Latvian | Modern Scandinavian form of Signý |
| Sanna | Swedish, Finnish | Short form of Susanna; possibly also from Swedish sann, “true” |
| Saara | Finnish | Finnish form of Sarah |
Irish and Welsh spelling follows its own rules, so learn the sound before you fall for the look. Behind the Name prints Siobhán and Síle with an SH sound at the start, and Saoirse with a sh sound near the end. If you love the look of an Irish name, listen to it said by a native speaker before you decide.
For Japanese and Korean names, the meaning depends on the characters a family chooses, so treat each meaning below as one common reading.
| Name | Origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Shira | Hebrew | “Singing” in Hebrew |
| Sivan | Hebrew | The ninth month of the Hebrew calendar, in late spring; from an Akkadian word for “season, occasion” |
| Salma | Arabic, Urdu, Bengali, Indonesian | “Safe” in Arabic |
| Samira | Arabic, Persian | Feminine form of Samir: “companion in evening talk” in Arabic |
| Safiyya | Arabic | Feminine form of Safi; borne by one of the wives of the Prophet Muhammad |
| Sayaka | Japanese | One common spelling combines “sand” or “silk thread” with “fragrance”; other characters are possible |
| Sachiko | Japanese | “Happiness, good luck” plus “child” |
| Sunita | Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi, Nepali | Roughly “well conducted” or “wise”, from Sanskrit su, “good”, plus nita, “led” |
| Shreya | Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati | From Sanskrit sreyas: “superior, better” |
| Seo-yeon | Korean | “Felicitous omen” plus “beautiful” in one common spelling; other characters are possible |
Print accents exactly as the name is spelled (Solène, Séverine, Salomé, Siobhán, Síle). U.S. paperwork does not always carry accents, so decide ahead of time whether you are comfortable seeing the name without them. If a name comes from a culture outside your own family, learn how it is pronounced and used before you commit.
Gender Neutral S Names
Behind the Name lists each of these as both feminine and masculine. Many began as English or Irish surnames or place names, and several are simple English words. You will find more in our gender neutral names guide.
| Name | Origin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Sage | English (modern) | From the English word for the herb or for a wise person |
| Sky | English (modern) | From the English word; from Old Norse sky, “cloud” |
| Sunny | English | “Sunny, cheerful” |
| Sutton | English (modern) | From a surname taken from many English towns: “south town” in Old English |
| Sydney | English | From a variant of the surname Sidney; mostly feminine since the 1980s |
| Sidney | English | From the English surname; used more for girls than boys in the U.S. from 1993 to 2019 |
| Skylar | English (modern) | Variant of Skyler; mostly feminine, per the reference |
| Skyler | English (modern) | Variant of Schuyler, spelled to look like “sky”; more evenly unisex than Skylar |
| Shiloh | Biblical | An Old Testament place name, possibly “tranquil” in Hebrew |
| Sharon | English, Hebrew | An Old Testament place name: “plain” in Hebrew; unisex as a Hebrew name |
| Shannon | English | From the River Shannon in Ireland, possibly linked to Old Irish sen, “old, ancient” |
| Shea | Irish | Anglicized form of Séaghdha; sometimes used for girls |
| Sasha | Russian, Ukrainian, English, French | Russian and Ukrainian diminutive of Aleksandr or Aleksandra |
| Sawyer | English (modern) | From an English surname: “sawer of wood” |
| Stevie | English | Diminutive of Stephen or Stephanie |
| Stacy | English | For girls, usually seen as a diminutive of Anastasia; earlier a masculine name from a surname |
| Sora | Japanese | “Sky” |
| Shiori | Japanese | “Poem” plus “weave”, or “bookmark” (usually feminine), depending on the characters |
| Simran | Punjabi, Hindi | “Continuous remembrance” in Punjabi, from Sanskrit for “recollection” |
| Sequoia | English (rare) | From the giant trees of California, named either from Latin sequor, “to follow”, or after Sequoyah, who created the Cherokee writing system |
| Sparrow | English (rare) | From the bird; Old English spearwa |
Some of these lean one way. The reference notes that Sydney has been mostly feminine since the 1980s and that Skylar is now more common for girls, while Sharon has been used for girls in English since the 1920s and is unisex in Hebrew. If you want a name that reads as shared, check how the people around you use it, since usage can differ from one community to the next.
Why S Names Are Loved: Sounds and Nicknames
A few plain reasons parents keep coming back to names that start with S:
- Two of the top 10 girls’ names for 2025 start with S, so the letter feels current.
- It also holds centuries of history, from Sarah and Susanna to Sophia and Sibyl.
- S names span many languages, from French and Irish to Hebrew, Persian, Finnish and Japanese.
- Many long S names shorten into an easy everyday nickname.
The first sound matters because people will read the name before they hear it. This table shows how a dozen S names begin, using the pronunciation printed on each name’s Behind the Name entry (in the International Phonetic Alphabet).
| Name | Pronunciation (IPA) | First sound |
|---|---|---|
| Sophia | /soʊ.ˈfi.ə/ (English) | S |
| Sienna | /si.ˈɛn.ə/ | S |
| Sapphira | /sə.ˈfaɪ.ɹə/ (English) | S |
| Saoirse | /ˈsˠiːɾˠ.ʃə/ (Irish) | S, with a sh sound later in the name |
| Sasha | /ˈsæʃ.ə/ (English) | S, with a sh sound in the middle |
| Sorcha | /ˈsɔɹ.kə/ or /ˈsɔɹ.ʃə/ (American English) | S, then K or SH |
| Siobhán | /ˈʃɪ.waːnˠ/ (Irish, one of several) | SH |
| Síle | /ˈʃiː.lʲə/ (Irish) | SH |
| Sioned | /ˈʃoː.nɛd/ (Welsh) | SH |
| Shira | /ʃi.ˈʁa/ (Hebrew) | SH |
| Sarah | /ˈzaː.ʁa/ (German) | Z |
| Sabrina | /za.ˈbʁiː.na/ (German) | Z |
Most English S names start with a plain S sound. Siobhán, Síle and Sioned open with SH even though they are spelled with a plain S, and in German, Sarah and Sabrina begin with a Z sound. Sorcha has two English pronunciations listed. If relatives will see the name on a card before they hear it, tell them how it is said.
| Full name | Nickname ideas |
|---|---|
| Sarah | Sadie, Sally, Sal, Sarina, Sarit (Hebrew) |
| Susanna, Susan | Sue, Susie, Suzy, Suki, Sookie, Zanna, Sanna (Swedish, Finnish) |
| Samantha | Sam, Sammie, Sammy |
| Stephanie, Stephania | Steph, Stevie; Steffi (German, for Stephanie) |
| Stefania | Stefcia (Polish), Fani (Greek) |
| Sophia, Sofia | Sophy, Sofi, Sonya (Russian) |
| Seraphina | Sera |
| Serafina | Fina |
| Svetlana | Lana, Sveta |
| Sigrid | Siri, Siiri |
| Sydney | Syd |
| Sidney | Sid |
| Simona | Simonetta (Italian) |
| Simone | Simonette |
| Sylvie | Sylvette (French) |
| Saara | Saija (Finnish) |
| Sotiria | Sotiroula |
| Sally, Sadie | Sal |
Sibling, Twin and Middle Name Ideas
These pairings are ideas, not rules. Sister or twin sets that share a letter work best when the names differ in length, ending or first sound:
- Stella and Sienna
- Sophia and Scarlett
- Sadie and Sylvia
- Savannah and Sierra
- Selene and Seren
- Saoirse and Sorcha
- Solène and Sidonie
- Shira and Sivan
- Sakura and Sumire
- Susanna and Seraphina
Pairs from one language, such as Saoirse and Sorcha or Shira and Sivan, share a style without sharing a meaning. If you want twin names to match without rhyming, pair a short name with a long one, such as Suki and Seraphina.
For a brother, look at boy names that start with K for a contrasting sound, or keep the letter with Sawyer, Sutton or Sasha from the gender neutral table. Our girl names that start with J list is another source of sister names.
For middle names, contrast helps. A short middle balances a long first name, and a longer middle gives a short first name some weight. A double S is a classic choice: Stella Sophia, Sadie Susanna, Sloane Seraphina or Suki Sylvia. If you would rather vary the initials, borrow a middle from another letter: our C and J lists are a good place to look.
The Initials Check and Other Quick Tests for Girl Names That Start With S
Before you settle on one of these S names for girls, run each finalist through four quick tests:
- Initials: write out first, middle and last initials. S.A.M. and S.J.B. are harmless, but S.A.D. or S.O.S. may not be what you want on a backpack. Swap the middle name if you spot a problem.
- Say it out loud: call the full name across a room. Check whether a name ending in S runs into a surname that starts with S, and whether people hear an SH sound where you meant an S.
- Spelling: many S names have twins: Sophia and Sofia, Sydney and Sidney, Skylar and Skyler, Saylor and Sailor, Sarah and Sara. Decide whether you mind spelling it out for years.
- Nicknames: check the table above. If you dislike the obvious short form, assume someone will use it anyway.
One more check is optional: how common the name is. Sophia is No. 5 and Sofia is No. 9 for girls born in 2025, so a Sophia or Sofia is likely to meet others along the way. Some parents like that and some do not. For any other name, the SSA’s Popularity of a Name search lets you look a name up by sex and range of years, which is a quick way to tell familiar from truly rare.
If you are stuck between two finalists, try each one in the sentences you will say most: calling her to dinner, introducing her to a neighbor, spelling it for a receptionist. The name that still feels easy after a few days is usually the one.
Still browsing letters? Our same-day list of boy names that start with C is useful if you are naming twins of different sexes or planning ahead for a sibling.
Related Betteroo Guides
- Girl names that start with M
- Girl names that start with C
- Baby girl names
- Unique girl names
- Irish girl names
- Gender neutral names
The Bottom Line
The letter S covers nearly every style: Sophia and Sofia in the top 10, classics like Sarah, Stella and Susanna, rare finds like Sybella and Ségolène, nature names like Saffron and Sumire, and names from French, Irish, Welsh, Hebrew, Arabic, Persian, Finnish, Japanese and Korean. Shortlist three to five, check the meaning, test the initials and the sound, and say each one out loud for a week.
Then give yourself permission to stop looking. A name you have checked, said aloud and still like after a week is a good name.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most popular girl names that start with S?
Sophia and Sofia lead. Sophia ranked No. 5 and Sofia No. 9 for girls born in the United States in 2025, according to the Social Security Administration, which counts the two spellings separately. Other familiar S names include Scarlett, Stella, Sadie, Sarah, Savannah, Sienna and Summer.
What are unique girl names that start with S?
Rare S names include Sybella, Sailor, Sophronia, Ségolène, Sotiria, Santina, Svenja and Selin. Behind the Name marks Sybella and Sailor as rare in English, and the others are uncommon in the United States. The Social Security Administration leaves names with fewer than 5 occurrences out of its lists, so the rarest never appear there.
What are short S names for girls?
Short S names include Suki, Siri, Suri, Sana, Satu and Sela, plus Sage, Sky, Sora, Shea, Sif, Saga and Sita. Many began as short forms of longer names: Suki comes from Susanna or Susan, Siri from Sigrid, and Suri is the Yiddish form of Sarah.
What are biblical girl names that start with S?
Sarah, the wife of Abraham, is the best known. Others include Susanna, Salome, Sapphira and Syntyche from the New Testament, Selah from the Psalms, and Sharon, Shiloh and Sela, which are Old Testament place names. Shifra and Shulamit are Hebrew forms of names from the Bible.
Which S names mean star, sun or sky?
Stella means star in Latin, Seren means star in Welsh and Setareh means star in Persian. Swati is the Indian name of the star Arcturus. Soleil means sun in French, Sora means sky in Japanese, and Selene means moon in Greek. Sahar means dawn in Arabic, and Sky comes from an Old Norse word for cloud.
Which S names work for both girls and boys?
Behind the Name lists Sage, Sky, Sunny, Sutton, Sydney, Sidney, Skylar, Skyler, Shiloh, Sharon, Shannon, Shea, Sasha, Sawyer, Stevie and Stacy as both feminine and masculine. So are Sora and Shiori from Japanese, Simran from Punjabi, and the rare nature names Sequoia and Sparrow.
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Related Betteroo Guides
- boy names that start with S
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6 Sources
- Social Security Administration. Popular Baby Names (top 10 names of 2025).
https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/index.html - Social Security Administration. Background Information for Popular Names.
https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/background.html - Behind the Name. Meaning, origin and history of the name Sophia.
https://www.behindthename.com/name/sophia - Behind the Name. Meaning, origin and history of the name Sarah.
https://www.behindthename.com/name/sarah - Behind the Name. Meaning, origin and history of the name Susanna.
https://www.behindthename.com/name/susanna - Behind the Name. Meaning, origin and history of the name Saoirse.
https://www.behindthename.com/name/saoirse
