Dog Names That Start With S

Shula is a short form often used on its own in Israel. Sula is another, related, option. As an Arabic name, it has a bright, fiery meaning.

Sabik, a star in Ophiuchus, makes for a rather harsh-sounding name. If you're looking skyward for a baby name, you'd do better with Orion or Jupiter. But if you are searching for names that mean new beginnings, this is one unusual choice.

Cute and short name that sounds right on trend with it's V sound.

Alyssa Milano's character on the soap opera Mistresses was Savannah, called Savi.

Sidda is a name made famous by the heroine of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood; it probably started life as a nickname.

Sunna was a mythological goddess of the sun. As a mythology name that easily translated into English yet is unique and uplifting, Sunna feels like an all-around winner.

Sarada is the Japanese word for "salad," and thus, is not a given name in Japan. It was used for the Naruto character Sarada Uchiha. According to Tumblr user @ruineko, "When you say her full name, you get something that sounds like sarada-yu. Sarada-yu means cooking oil, oil is used to light a flame...she is the oil that will start the flame of the Uchiha."

Less well known internationally than Saoirse, but equally appealing, Saorla is also spelled Saorlaith or Saorfhlaith.

Salman is an Arabic name dating back to Salman the Persian, one of Muhammad's companions. In this country it is strongly associated with Anglo-Indian novelist Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses.

Weapon-related names like Saber have been on the rise in recent years. In 2014, ten baby boys in the US were named Saber and five Sabre. The name may also relate to the Arabic Sabir, though to contemporary English-speakers, the reference will more likely be the sword.

The name of the lead character -- a purple dragon -- in a long-running series of video games. Technically also a variant of the classic Greek name Spiro/Spyros.

Sevyn broke into the Top 1000 for girls in 2019, the same year that Seven crossed the threshold for boys. Ys are typically employed to make names more feminine, which is why many more girls were given the Sevyn spelling than boys. However, Sevyn still made it on the birth certificates of over 100 boys last year.

Sami is cute if overused in its more familiar Sammy form.

Surname name with an uplifting meaning. Just beware that this is a well-known mattress brand.

Sunehra is an Indian name that is largely unknown in English-speaking countries, except maybe via its friendly short form Sunny.

Stark is an ancient surname derived from the Old English word stearc, meaning firm and unyielding. In modern parlance, stark means severe or plain. But Stark's use as a first name -- 15 boys were named Stark in the US in 2017 -- stems from its prominence in Game of Thrones, which has inspired so many new baby names. House Stark is a ruling family on GoT; its motto is fittingly "Winter is coming," so Stark and other names from the show might make creative names for winter babies.

A name of both Japanese and Hindi origin, Saya has a bright, sharp sound, reminiscent of Maia and Kaia. Borne by Olympian BMX racer, Saya Sakakibara, wrestler Saya Kamitani, and by weather presenter, Saya Hiyama who went viral after a clip of her switching from light-hearted banter to an earthquake warning became an internet phenomenon, Saya has also been used for characters in a variety of Japanese media.

Sanders is one of the S-ending surnames gaining traction as a first name for boys in the US. It jumped nearly 2000 points in popularity this year.

Santa has an appealing sound, or maybe that's sleigh bells we hear? It's difficult to separate the Italian girls' name Santa from the association to Mr. Claus, king of Christmas. The German diminutive Senta -- or Snow or even Christmas -- might be an easier name to handle.