Dog Names That Start With S

Saffira is the softer, Latin variation of the English name Sapphire. In sound it is reminiscent of Zephyra.

Santana is a saintly name...or Latin rock band. While traditionally masculine, character Santana Lopez on the show Glee showed the name's potential for a girl as well. Sound-wise, it feels like Savannah with a twist.

Stormi is like Sunni, with angst. If naming your child Storm or Stormy is asking for trouble, naming her Stormi -- as Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott did -- is asking for trouble of several different kinds. But we're sure she'll be adorable and as celebrity baby names go, this one is nearly normal.

Obsolete Swanhild gives way to oh-so-modern Swan, joining the flock of newly fashionable bird names such as Wren and Lark. In France, the Swann spelling is fashionable for both sexes. But Swan carries an image of grace, though perhaps also a bit of languor. It's a lovely and original name, right for our times.

Popular Japanese name exemplified by the distinguished conductor Seiji Ozawa.

The mononymous Colombian-born singer inspired a popularity blip in the 90s and early 00s.

Shyam is one of the alternate names of Hindu God Krishna.

Sariah is the perfect compromise name for when you say Sarah, and your spouse says Mariah. Spelled Saria, it's a character in the video game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

This spelling seems to be taking off as a result of media appearances as characters in first "Gilmore Girls" and then as Sookie Stackhouse, the Anna Paquin character in "True Blood," based on "The Southern Vampire Mysteries" series of books by Charlaine Harris.

Among the first wave of word names used in the hippie era, it actually is a legitimate girl's name with a lot of luster.

Silvanus was the Roman god of the forests and is also an alternate name in the New Testament for Silas. Relatives include Silvio, Silvius, and Sylvia.

Pronounced like Sunny, Suni is the nickname of astronaut Sunita Williams. Suni is also the nickname of US Olympic gymnast Suni Lee, whose full name is Sunisa.

You can call your daughter Sugar, but only as a term of endearment. Her real name has to be something, almost anything, else.

This topographical name, more suited to a girl than a boy--though it would inevitably be confused with SARAH--has some distinguished bearers: famous Spanish missionary to Mexico Father Junipero Serra, and sculptor Richard Serra, known for his challenging large-scale metal works.

Entered the vernacular with the rising star of Shia LeBeouf. The meaning and origin of the name are disputed, though the actor has been quoted as saying he's embarrassed by its meaning in French: another four-letter word starting with s.

Soma makes an unusual (outside Hungary) choice of nature name. It is rare that a beautiful flowering tree is used for a boy, so if you're looking for something floral for a boy, make sure you consider this choice.

Sachiko was one of the first Japanese names familiar to Americans when it was used in the 1950s by actress Shirley Maclaine for her daughter, called the adorable short form Sachi. While Sachiko does not rank on the US Social Security baby names list, Sachi was given to 25 girls in the most recent year counted.

While Sixtine is a name with ancient roots that's popular in modern-day France, it's hard to imagine it gaining hold in English-speaking lands, given its similarity to the number sixteen and its even-more-problematic similarity to the word "sexting." You wouldn't do that to your daughter.

An attractive unisex choice heard in several countries, including Armenia. Can be pronounced sheer-IN or sheer-EEN.

When comedian David Atkins adopted this Arabian Nights-type name, it became almost feasible, but could lead to tough times in the schoolyard.