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$Title{Names for Girls:  S}
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Editors of Consumer Guide
Harder, Kelsey}
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The Ultimate Baby Name Book


Names for Girls:  S


Sabina             Latin "of the Sabines."  St. Sabina was a first-century
                   Christian martyr.  The name is unusual today.
        Nickname:  Bina
      Variations:  Sabine (French and German), Saidhbhin (Irish), Savena,
                   Savina

Sabine (see Sabina)

Sabrina            Possibly Hebrew sabra, "thorny cactus" or "to rest" as in
                   the Sabbath; also, the name of the legendary goddess of the
                   Severn River in England.  In the charming movie Sabrina,
                   actress Audrey Hepburn is a chauffeur's daughter who is
                   romanced by Humphrey Bogart, a middle-aged tycoon, and by
                   William Holden, Bogart's playboy brother.  The movie is
                   based on a popular play Sabrina Fair by Samuel Taylor.
     Famous name:  Sabrina LeBeauf (actress)
       Variation:  Zabrina

Sacha (see Sarah)

Sada (see Sadie)

Sadella (see Sarah)

Sadhbh (see Sophia)

Sadie              Form of Sarah.
      Variations:  Sada, Sadye

Sadye (see Sarah, Sadie)

Saidhbhin (see Sabina)

Sal (see Sarah)

Salaidh (see Sarah)

Salen (see Selena)

Salima (see Salome)

Sallie (see Sally, Sarah)

Sally              Form of Sarah.  No fictional Sally is as memorable as Sally
                   Bowles, the creation of Christopher Isherwood in The Berlin
                   Stories.  She became well-known when the book was made into
                   a movie, I am a Camera, with Julie Harris; a long-running
                   Broadway musical, Cabaret; and then the film of the musical
                   in which Liza Minnelli gained fame as the delightfully
                   decadent Sally.
    Famous names:  Sally Field (actress)
                   Sally Kellerman (actress)
                   Sally Kirkland (singer)
                   Sally Mann (photographer)
                   Sally Ride (astronaut)
  Other spelling:  Sallie

Salma              Swahili "safe."

Saloma (see Salome)

Salome             Hebrew shalom, "peace."  In the New Testament, Salome was
                   the daughter of Herodias and the stepdaughter of Herod
                   Antipas.  Before she would dance for her stepfather's
                   guests, she demanded the head of John the Baptist.  Not
                   surprisingly, this name has never enjoyed vast popularity.
     Famous name:  Salome Jens (actress)
      Variations:  Salima, Saloma, Salomee (French), Salomi, Selimah (Arabic),
                   Suleima (Arabic)

Salomee, Salomi (see Salome)

Sam (see Samantha)

Samantha           Aramiac "a listener."  This was an unusual name until
                   actress Elizabeth Montgomery played the
                   witch-who-would-be-a-housewife on the television comedy
                   Bewitched.  Plagued by her mother, Endora, for not
                   exercising her magic, Samantha also has to contend with
                   her husband's distaste for her ability to twitch her nose
                   and right all wrongs.
     Famous name:  Samantha Eggar (actress)
       Nicknames:  Mandy, Sam, Samanthy, Sammy

Samanthy (see Samantha)

Sammy (see Samantha)

Sandi, Sandie (see Alexandra, Cassandra, Sandy)

Sandra             Form of Alexander, Greek "defender of men"; also, a
                   variation of Alexandra or Cassandra.  This variation is
                   now an independent name and was very popular in the 1950s
                   and 1960s.
    Famous names:  Sandra Day O'Connor (U.S. Supreme Court justice)
                   Sandra Dee (actress)

Sandy              Form of Sandra.
    Famous names:  Sandy Dennis (actress)
                   Sandy Duncan (actress)
 Other spellings:  Sandi, Sandie

Sanura             Swahili "kitten."

Sara               Form of Sarah.
    Famous names:  Sara Paretsky (novelist)
                   Sara Teasdale (poet)

Sarah              Hebrew "princess."  In the Old Testament Sarah was the
                   wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac.  Her name is one
                   of the first examples of a name change commanded by God.
                   She had been called Sarai.  Sarah was a very popular
                   Christian name by the seventeenth century when the name
                   almost became associated with nobility.  Sarah Jennings
                   married John Churchill, later the duke of Marlborough.  She
                   was a close friend of Anne Stewart, who became Queen Anne.
                   The court was so jealous of the duchess of Marlborough and
                   her influence on the queen that "Queen Sarah" became a
                   common slur used against her.  Queen Anne later became
                   disillusioned with the Churchills, and they were banished
                   from the court.  In the nineteenth century, actress Sarah
                   Bernhardt reigned on the stage, as had the English tragic
                   actress Sarah Kemble Siddons before her.  The name is very
                   popular today.
    Famous names:  Sarah Brightman (actress)
                   Sarah Miles (actress)
      Variations:  Morag (Scottish), Sacha (Russian), Sadella, Sadie, Sadye,
                   Sal, Salaidh (Scottish), Sallie, Sally, Sara (German),
                   Sarene, Sarette, Sari, Sarine, Sarita, Serita (Italian),
                   Shari (Hungarian), Sorcha (Irish), Zadee, Zara, Zarah

Sarene (see Sarah)

Sarette (see Sarah)

Sari (see Sarah)

Sarine (see Sarah)

Sarita (see Sarah)

Sasha              Form of Alexandra.  This is a popular nickname in Russia.

Savena (see Sabina)

Savina (see Sabina)

Scarlett           English "deep red."  Before Scarlett O'Hara, the heroine
                   of Margaret Mitchell's vast novel Gone With the Wind, no
                   baby girls were named Scarlett, but now the name appears
                   occasionally.

Sean               Variation of John, Hebrew "the Lord is favored."  Now that
                   Sean is a common name for boys in the United States, it
                   isn't used very often as a girls' name.
     Famous name:  Sean Young (actress)
       Variation:  Shawn

Searlait (see Cherie)

Secunda            Latin "the second."  This is a traditional name for a
                   second daughter.

Sela (see Selena)

Selena             Greek "the moon."
      Variations:  Celena, Celie, Celina, Celinda, Celinde, Celine, Celinee,
                   Salen, Sela, Selene, Selia, Selie, Selina, Selinda, Sena

Selene (see Selena)

Selia (see Selena, Sheila)

Selie (see Selena)

Selimah (see Salome)

Selina (see Selena)

Selinda (see Selena)

Selma              Celtic "unfair"; also, a form of Norse Anselm, "divinely
                   protected."
       Variation:  Zelma

Sena (see Selena)

Senalde (see Signe)

Seonaid (see Jane)

Seosaimhthin (see Josephine)

Septima            Latin "the seventh."
     Famous name:  Septima Poinsette Clark (civil rights activist)

Serafina (see Seraphine)

Seraphina (see Seraphine)

Seraphine          Hebrew seraphim, "burning" or "ardent."  In the
                   celestial hierarchy, seraphs, or seraphim, are the highest
                   ranked of the nine types of angels.  St. Seraphina was a
                   fifteenth-century saint.  The name is extremely unusual
                   today.
      Variations:  Serafina, Seraphina

Serita (see Sarah)

Shaina             Yiddish "beautiful."
      Variations:  Shaine, Shanna

Shaine (see Shaina)

Shana (see Shanna, Shannon)

Shane (see Shannon)

Shanna             Hebrew "lily"; also, a variation of Shaina.
     Famous name:  Shana Alexander (writer)
 Other spellings:  Shana, Shannah

Shannah (see Shanna)

Shannon            Irish from the river Shannon; also, Gaelic "smooth water."
      Variations:  Channa, Shana, Shane, Shauna, Shawna

Shara (see Sharon)

Shari              Form of Sharon or Sherry; also, a Hungarian variation of
                   Sarah.
    Famous names:  Shari Belafonte (actress)
                   Shari Lewis (puppeteer)

Sharise (see Cheryl)

Sharleen, Sharlene (see Carol, Caroline, Charlene, Charlotte)

Sharlet (see Carol)

Sharline (see Caroline)

Sharon             Hebrew "a plain," usually a place name.  Sharon is a plain
                   in western Palestine that was famous for its fertility.  In
                   his novel The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck ironically
                   named an abandoned pregnant girl Rose of Sharon in
                   reference to a verse from the Song of Solomon describing
                   the plain.  While Sharon used to be a popular name, it
                   appears to be fading fast.
    Famous names:  Sharon Gless (actress)
                   Sharon Olds (writer)
       Nicknames:  Shari, Sherrie, Sherry
      Variations:  Shara, Sharona

Sharona (see Sharon)

Sharyl (see Carol)

Shauna (see Shannon)

Shawn (see Sean)

Shawna (see Shannon)

Shayla (see Sheila)

Sheba (see Bathsheba)

Sheela (see Sheila)

Sheelagh (see Cecilia)

Sheelah (see Cecilia, Sheila)

Sheena             Irish form of Jane.
     Famous name:  Sheena Easton (singer)
      Variations:  Sheenagh (Irish), Shena (Irish), Sine (Gaelic), Sinead
                   (Irish)

Sheenagh (see Jane, Sheena)

Sheila             Gaelic form of Cecilia.
     Famous name:  Sheila Graham (writer)
 Other spellings:  Sheela, Sheilah, Shela, Shelagh
      Variations:  Selia, Shayla, Sheelah (Irish), Sile

Sheilah (see Cecilia, Sheila)

Shel (see Shelley)

Shela (see Sheila)

Shelagh (see Cecilia, Sheila)

Shelina (see Celeste)

Shelley            Old English "ledge, meadow," a place name; also, a
                   variation of Rachel or Rochelle.  Because the name of the
                   poet Percy Bysshe Shelley is so well-known, this name is
                   always associated with him to some degree.
    Famous names:  Shelley Duvall (actress)
                   Shelley Hack (actress)
                   Shelley Long (actress)
                   Shelley Winters (actress)
 Other spellings:  Shelli, Shellie, Shelly
       Variation:  Shel

Shelli, Shellie, Shelly (see Rachel, Rochelle, Shelley)

Shena (see Jane, Sheena)

Sher (see Shirley)

Sheree, Sheri (see Carol, Charlotte, Sherry, Shirley)

Sheridan           Irish "peaceful" or "satyr" or "wild."

Sherie (see Charlotte, Sherry)

Sheril (see Sheryl)

Sherilyn (see Cheryl, Sherry)

Sherri, Sherrie (see Carol, Charlotte, Sharon)

Sherrill (see Charlotte, Sheryl)

Sherry             Variation of Carol, Charlotte, Cheryl, and Sharon.  The
                   wine takes its name from the town of Xeres, Spain, which
                   was named for Caesar, but this girl's name is probably
                   influenced not so much by the sweet wine as by the
                   well-known French love word, cherie.
    Famous names:  Sherry Lansing (movie executive)
                   Sheree North (actress)
 Other spellings:  Shari, Sheree, Sheri, Sherie, Sherye
      Variations:  Sherilyn, Sheryl

Sherye (see Sherry)

Sheryl             Form of Carol, Charlotte, Cherie, Cheryl, Sherry, or
                   Shirley.
 Other spellings:  Cheryl, Sheril, Sherrill

Sheryll (see Cheryl)

Shirl (see Shirley)

Shirlee (see Shirley)

Shirleen, Shirlene (see Shirley)

Shirley            Old English Scirleah, "shire meadow," a place name.
                   Charlotte Bronte first used this name in her novel Shirley,
                   but the name was already a common surname.  Without the
                   fame of Shirley Temple, the name might be quite unusual
                   today.
    Famous names:  Shirley Booth (actress)
                   Shirley Knight (actress)
                   Shirley MacLaine (actress)
                   Shirley Chisholm (U.S. representative)
 Other spellings:  Shirlee, Shirlie
      Variations:  Sher, Sheree, Sheri, Sheryl, Shirl, Shirleen, Shirlene

Shirlie (see Shirley)

Shoshana (see Susan)

Shoshannah (see Susan)

Sian (see Jane)

Sibeal (see Sybil)

Sibelle (see Sybil)

Sibil (see Sybil)

Sibille (see Sybil)

Sibyl, Sibyll (see Sybil)

Sibylla (see Sybil)

Sibylle (see Sybil)

Sighile (see Cecilia)

Signa (see Signe)

Signale (see Signe)

Signe              Latin "signal, sign."
     Famous name:  Signe Wilkinson (cartoonist)
      Variations:  Senalde (Spanish), Signa, Signale (Italian)

Sigourney          French sigoutiosei, "daring king."  The origin of this
                   name is probably the nineteenth-century religious poet
                   Lydia Huntley Sigourney.
     Famous name:  Sigourney Weaver (actress)

Sile (see Cecilia, Julia, Sheila)

Sileas (see Cecilia, Julia)

Silva (see Sylvia)

Silvana (see Sylvia)

Silvia (see Sylvia)

Silvie (see Sylvia)

Simona (see Simone)

Simone             Feminine form of Simon, Hebrew "he heard."
    Famous names:  Simone de Beauvier (writer)
                   Simone Signoret (actress)
      Variations:  Simona, Simonette (French), Simonia, Simonne

Simonette (see Simone)

Simonia (see Simone)

Simonne (see Simone)

Sindy (see Cyndi)

Sine (see Jane, Sheena)

Sinead (see Jane, Sheena)

Siobhan            Irish form of Judith.
     Famous name:  Siobhan McKenna (actress)

Sisi               Fante "born on Sunday."

Sisie (see Sissy)

Sisile (see Cecilia)

Sissey (see Sissy)

Sissie, Sissy (see Cecilia)

Sissy              Nickname for a little sister.
     Famous name:  Sissy Spacek (actress)
 Other spellings:  Sisie, Sissey

Siubhan (see Judith)

Siusaidh (see Susan)

Siusan (see Susan)

Siwah (see Jane)

Sofia (see Sophia)

Sofie (see Sophia, Sophie)

Soleil             French "sun, sunshine."

Sondra             Form of Alexandra.
     Famous name:  Sondra Locke (actress)

Sonia              Russian form of Sophia.  Sonya is the heroine of
                   Dostoyevsky's novel Crime and Punishment.
    Famous names:  Sonia Braga (actress)
                   Sonia Johnson (feminist activist)
                   Sonia Rykiel (fashion designer)
                   Sonja Frissell (opera director)
 Other spellings:  Sonja, Sonya

Sonja, Sonya (see Sonia, Sophia)

Sophia             Greek "wisdom."  St. Sophia was a third-century Christian
                   saint, who is remembered for her three martyred daughters:
                   Faith, Hope, and Charity.  The mosque at Constantinople,
                   built by Constantine the Great in 325, is dedicated to St.
                   Sophia.  The name was widely used among Ottoman royalty and
                   appears to have traveled to Europe first through Austria.
                   In the seventeenth century, when the house of Hanover
                   inherited the English throne, the name became popular in
                   England.  Sophia Western is the heroine of Henry Fielding's
                   novel Tom Jones, and Sophia Primrose is the heroine of
                   Oliver Goldsmith's The Vicar of Wakefield.
     Famous name:  Sophia Loren (actress)
       Nicknames:  Sophie, Sophy
      Variations:  Beathag (Scottish), Sadhbh (Irish), Sofia (Greek and
                   Italian), Sofie (Danish, Dutch, and French), Sonia, Sonja
                   (Danish and Slavic), Sonya (Russian), Sophronia, Suny,
                   Zofia (Polish), Zosia

Sophie             Variation of Sophia.  Actress Bette Midler got her start
                   in show business borrowing Sophie Tucker's jokes and voice,
                   so it's no surprise that she honored her mentor by naming
                   her daughter Sophie.
  Other spelling:  Sofie

Sophronia (see Sophia)

Sophy (see Sophia)

Sorcha (see Clara, Sarah)

Sosanna (see Susan)

Soshannah (see Susan)

Stacey (see Anastasia)

Stacia (see Eustacia)

Stacie, Stacy (see Anastasia, Eustacia)

Star (see Hester)

Stef (see Stephanie)

Stefania (see Stephanie)

Stefanie (see Stephanie)

Steffie, Steffy (see Stephanie)

Stella             Variation of Estelle or Esther.  This name has plummeted in
                   popularity because of its theatrical associations.  In the
                   movie Stella Dallas, the heroine was the epitome of the
                   lower-class social climber, while in Tennessee Williams' A
                   Streetcar Named Desire, the character Stella Kowalski, who
                   is married to the lout Stanley, symbolizes how the romance
                   and beauty of the past can be overwhelmed by a crude but
                   vital modern man.
    Famous names:  Stella Adler (dancer)
                   Stella Stevens (actress)
      Variations:  Estelle, Esther

Stepha (see Stephanie)

Stephana (see Stephanie)

Stephane           Variation of Stephanie.
     Famous name:  Stephane Audran (actress)

Stephania (see Stephanie)

Stephanie          Feminine form of Stephen, Greek "crown."  This name
                   has been extremely popular since Princess Grace of Monaco
                   named her daughter Stephanie.
    Famous names:  Stephanie Powers (actress)
                   Stephanie Zimbalist (actress)
       Nicknames:  Stef, Steffie, Steffy, Stevie
      Variations:  Stefania, Stefanie, Stepha, Stephana, Stephane (French),
                   Stephania, Stephanine (German), Stevana, Stevena, Tiennette

Stephanine (see Stephanie)

Stevana (see Stephanie)

Stevena (see Stephanie)

Stevie             Variation of Stephanie.
     Famous name:  Stevie Smith (poet)

Stina (see Christina)

Stine (see Christina)

Sue                Variation of Susan.
     Famous name:  Sue Grafton (writer)

Suke, Sukey, Suki, Sukie (see Susan)

Sula (see Ursula)

Suleima (see Salome)

Suny (see Sophia)

Susan              Hebrew shushannah, "lily."  While the story of Susanna and
                   the Elders is a part of the Apocrypha and excluded from the
                   Bible, it remains a popular Christian story.  Susanna was
                   falsely accused of infidelity and was saved by Daniel, who
                   demonstrated that her accusers had given conflicting
                   testimonies.  Feminists often choose this name to honor
                   Susan B. Anthony, the famous women's rights advocate.
     Famous name:  Susan Hayward (actress)
       Nicknames:  Sue, Susie, Suzie, Suzy
      Variations:  Shoshana (Spanish), Shoshannah (Hebrew), Siusaidh (Gaelic),
                   Siusan (Scottish), Sosanna (Irish), Soshannah (Hebrew),
                   Suke, Sukey, Suki, Sukie, Susana (Spanish), Susanna
                   (Italian), Susannah (Hebrew), Susanne (French and German),
                   Suschen (German), Suse (German), Susetta (French), Sussana,
                   Suszanne, Suzanna, Suzannah, Suzanne (French), Suzelle,
                   Suzetta, Suzette (French), Suzon (French), Zozi, Zsa Zsa
                   (Hungarian), Zuzanna, Zuzanny (Polish), Zuzi (Swiss), Zuzu

Susana (see Susan)

Susanna            Variation of Susan; also, a combination of Susan and Anna.
  Other spelling:  Susannah

Susannah (see Susan, Susanna)

Susanne            Variation of Susan.

Suschen (see Susan)

Suse (see Susan)

Susetta (see Susan)

Susie (see Susan)

Sussana (see Susan)

Suszanne (see Susan)

Suzanne, Suzannah (see Susan)

Suzanne            Variation of Susan.
    Famous names:  Suzanne Pleshette (actress)
                   Suzanne Vega (singer)

Suzelle (see Susan)

Suzetta (see Susan)

Suzette (see Susan)

Suzie (see Susan)

Suzon (see Susan)

Suzy               Form of Susan.

Sybil              Greek sybilla, "a woman prophet."
     Famous name:  Dame Sybil Thorndike (actress)
 Other spellings:  Cybil, Cybill, Cybille, Sibil, Sibille, Sibyl
      Variations:  Cybele (French), Sibeal (Irish), Sibelle, Sibille, Sibyll,
                   Sibylla (Dutch and Swedish), Sibylle (French and German)

Sybille            Variation of Sybil.
     Famous name:  Sybille Pearson (playwright)

Sydney             Feminine form of Sidney, French "St. Denis."

Sylva (see Sylvia)

Sylvana (see Sylvia)

Sylvia             Latin silva, "wood."  In Roman mythology, Rhea Silvia
                   was the mother of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome.
     Famous name:  Sylvia Plath (poet)
  Other spelling:  Silvia
      Variations:  Celvia, Silva, Silvana, Silvie (French), Sylva, Sylvana,
                   Sylwia (Polish), Xylia, Zilvia

Sylwia (see Sylvia)