This list includes 33 Literary girl names that start with S, from “Sabrina” to “Sycorax”. They range from mythic and classic characters to modern novel heroines, useful for expectant parents, writers, and baby-name seekers.
Literary girl names that start with S are female names taken from books, plays, poems, and mythic stories. Some names, like Sabrina and Sycorax, carry strong cultural or symbolic associations.
Below you’ll find the table with Name, Origin, Pronunciation, and Meaning.
Name: The character or author-coined name as it appears in literature, helping you choose and compare quickly.
Origin: Shows the author, work, and original language so you can check cultural context and literary source.
Pronunciation: Provides a simple phonetic respelling so you can say the name confidently and share it aloud.
Meaning: Gives etymology or literary significance, so you understand connotations and why an author selected the name.
Literary girl names that start with S
| Name | Pronunciation | Origin (Author/Work, Language) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlett | SKAR-let | Margaret Mitchell / Gone with the Wind, English, 1936 | bright red cloth; surname adopted as given name |
| Scout | SKOWT | Harper Lee / To Kill a Mockingbird, English, 1960 | nickname meaning young observer or explorer |
| Sansa | SAN-suh | George R.R. Martin / A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire), English, 1996 | likely author-created; no fixed etymology |
| Sibyl | SIH-bil | Oscar Wilde / The Picture of Dorian Gray, English, 1890 | prophetess; Greek seer tradition |
| Sybil | SIH-bil | Benjamin Disraeli / Sybil (novel), English, 1845 | prophetess; variant of Sibyl |
| Sabrina | suh-BREE-nuh | John Milton / Comus (masque), English, 1634 | river nymph of the Severn; Celtic origin |
| Salome | sah-LOH-mee | Oscar Wilde / Salome, French, 1891 | Hebrew root related to ‘peace’; biblical name |
| Stella | STEL-uh | Philip Sidney / Astrophil and Stella, English, 1591 | Latin ‘star’ |
| Susan | SOO-zan | C.S. Lewis / The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, English, 1950 | Hebrew ‘princess’ |
| Sethe | SETH | Toni Morrison / Beloved, English, 1987 | likely author-invented or truncated; ambiguous |
| Sophie | SOH-fee | William Styron / Sophie’s Choice, English, 1979 | Greek ‘wisdom’ (variant of Sophia) |
| Sula | SOO-lah | Toni Morrison / Sula, English, 1973 | probably author-created; no clear etymology |
| Sonya | SON-yuh | Fyodor Dostoevsky / Crime and Punishment, Russian, 1866 | diminutive of Sophia; ‘wisdom’ |
| Sally | SAL-ee | Virginia Woolf / Mrs Dalloway, English, 1925 | diminutive of Sarah; ‘princess’ |
| Serena | seh-REE-nuh | Ron Rash / Serena, English, 2008 | Latin ‘serene, calm’ |
| Sophia | soh-FEE-uh | Henry Fielding / The History of Tom Jones, English, 1749 | Greek ‘wisdom’ |
| Susannah | SOO-zan-uh | Stephen King / The Dark Tower (Susannah Dean), English, 1982–2004 | Hebrew origin; ‘lily’ or ‘grace’ |
| Seraphina | seh-ruh-FEE-nuh | Rachel Hartman / Seraphina, English, 2012 | angelic; ‘burning one’ (Hebrew root seraph) |
| Sycorax | sih-KOR-aks | William Shakespeare / The Tempest, English, c. 1610–11 | likely invented; name of a witch |
| Silvia | SIL-vee-uh | William Shakespeare / The Two Gentlemen of Verona, English, c. 1593–94 | from Latin silva, ‘forest’ |
| Scheherazade | sheh-heh-rah-ZAHD | One Thousand and One Nights / anonymous, Arabic, medieval compilation c. 8th–14th centuries | Persian-linked; meanings debated, linked to storytelling |
| Sita | SEE-tah | Valmiki / Ramayana, Sanskrit epic, ancient (dates vary; traditionally centuries BCE) | Sanskrit ‘furrow’ symbolizing earth and purity |
| Smilla | SMEE-lah | Peter Høeg / Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow, Danish, 1992 | Greenlandic/Scandinavian roots; uncertain |
| Shirley | SHUR-lee | Charlotte Brontë / Shirley, English, 1849 | Old English ‘bright meadow’ |
| Sara | SAIR-uh | Frances Hodgson Burnett / A Little Princess (Sara Crewe), English, 1888 | Hebrew ‘princess’ |
| Susie | SOO-zee | Alice Sebold / The Lovely Bones, English, 2002 | diminutive of Susan; ‘princess’ |
| Sapphira | suh-FIH-ruh | New Testament / Acts of the Apostles, Greek, 1st century CE | derived from sapphire; ‘precious stone’ |
| Svanhild | svahn-HILD | Norse Sagas / Poetic Edda & Völsunga saga, Old Norse, c. 13th century (oral earlier) | Old Norse ‘swan battle’ or ‘swan-warrior’ |
| Svetlana | svet-LAH-nuh | Vasily Zhukovsky / “Svetlana” (ballad), Russian, 1813 | Slavic ‘light’ |
| Sheila | SHEE-luh | J.B. Priestley / An Inspector Calls (Sheila Birling), English, 1945 | Anglicized Irish ‘Síle’ (from Cecilia) |
| Sappho | SAH-foh | Poems attributed to Sappho, Ancient Greek lyric poet, c. 6th century BCE | historic poet’s name; associated with lyric love |
| Sarah | SAIR-uh | Hebrew Bible / Genesis, Hebrew, ancient (traditional dating varies) | Hebrew ‘princess’ |
| Skadi | SKAH-dee | Poetic Edda / Prose Edda (Old Norse myth), Old Norse, c. 13th century (oral earlier) | Norse goddess name linked to winter and hunting |
Descriptions
Scarlett
Scarlett O’Hara, headstrong Southern heroine; Mitchell’s novel popularized this surname-turned-given-name for girls.
Scout
Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, tomboy narrator and moral center; distinctive nickname that reads as a spunky given name.
Sansa
Sansa Stark grows from naive girl to political survivor; modern fantasy name widely popularized by TV adaptation.
Sibyl
Sibyl Vane, tragic actress beloved by Dorian; name evokes prophecy, fate, and classical drama.
Sybil
Title heroine Sybil Gerard embodies social reform themes; nineteenth-century novel helped circulate the name.
Sabrina
Sabrina appears as a Severn nymph in Milton; later literature made the name lyrical and elegant.
Salome
Wilde’s Salome is an exotic, fatal figure; the name carries Biblical and dramatic connotations.
Stella
Stella is Sidney’s poetic beloved; a long-standing poetic and literary name for heroines.
Susan
Susan Pevensie, practical older sister in Narnia; classic, biblical-rooted name with literary presence.
Sethe
Sethe, haunted protagonist who flees slavery; Morrison’s powerful novel makes the name resonant and somber.
Sophie
Sophie Zawistowski, survivor at the moral center of Styron’s novel; name suggests compassion and tragedy.
Sula
Sula Peace, complex outsider and friend; Morrison’s novel made the short, striking name literary.
Sonya
Sonya Marmeladova, compassionate moral core of Dostoevsky’s novel; Russian diminutive widely used in translations.
Sally
Sally Seton, youthful friend of Clarissa; familiar, intimate name that signals modern social nuance.
Serena
Serena Pemberton, ruthless timber baroness; name’s calm meaning contrasts with the character’s fierce ambition.
Sophia
Sophia Western, virtuous heroine in Fielding’s novel; classic name with rich literary and classical associations.
Susannah
Susannah Dean, resilient member of King’s ka-tet; formal, historic name used in modern epic fiction.
Seraphina
Title heroine navigates human-dragon tensions in YA fantasy; lyrical, romantic name with angelic overtones.
Sycorax
Sycorax, unseen witch and mother of Caliban, evokes magic, exile, and colonial themes in Shakespeare’s play.
Silvia
Silvia (or Sylvia), beloved of Proteus; Shakespearean romantic heroine and enduring literary name.
Scheherazade
Scheherazade spins tales nightly to survive; name symbolizes storytelling, cleverness, and endurance.
Sita
Sita, central heroine and exemplar in the Ramayana; name carries deep religious and cultural resonance.
Smilla
Smilla Jaspersen, icy, perceptive protagonist; modern Nordic name with distinctive literary presence.
Shirley
Title character Shirley Keeldar challenges gender expectations; Brontë’s novel helped popularize Shirley as a girl’s name.
Sara
Sara Crewe, kind child who remains noble despite hardship; classic, gentle literary name.
Susie
Susie Salmon narrates from beyond the grave; diminutive feels intimate, modern, and emotionally charged.
Sapphira
Sapphira, biblical figure punished for deceit; name carries gemlike connotations and a cautionary tale.
Svanhild
Svanhildr, tragic heroine in Norse legend; mythic, poetic name with strong Viking-era resonance.
Svetlana
Zhukovsky popularized Svetlana as an emblem of purity and poetic beauty in Russian literature.
Sheila
Sheila Birling undergoes moral awakening in Priestley’s play; name felt modernly feminine in twentieth-century drama.
Sappho
Sappho’s surviving verses inspired centuries of literary admiration; the name evokes lyrical intensity and female authorship.
Sarah
Sarah, matriarch in Genesis, is a foundational literary and religious figure; a timeless, widely used name.
Skadi
Skadi, giantess-turned-goddess in Norse myth; used in sagas as a strong, elemental female figure.