French names that start with 'S'

French names starting with 'S', such as Sylvie, Solène, and Solange, are charming and naturally draw attention because of the soft and soothing yet high-frequency sound of the letter 'S'.

French girl names that start with 'S'

Many French girl names that begin with 'S' can be traced back to Latin roots such as “silva” (the Latin word for “forest”) and “sollemnis” (which means “solemn”).

The following girl names have a poetic and enchanting feel because they are derived from “silva”, the Latin word for “forest”.

• Sylvie: Sylvie is the shortest name in this group and it features the 'ie' ending, which is common in French female names.
• Sylviane: Sylviane is the feminine form of the male name Sylvain. Both are derived from the Latin word “silva” meaning “forest”.
• Sylvette: Sylvette is a diminutive form of the name Sylvie. The “-ette” ending gives it a youthful and endearing quality.
• Sylvaine: Sylvaine is a less common name than Sylviane. Both of these names have the same origin, and they are anagrams, which means that they are permutations of each other's letters.

The following French girl names have an aura of dignity and respect because they are derived from “sollemnis”, a Latin adjective meaning “solemn”.

• Solange: The name Solange contains the French word “ange” which translates to “angel”. This certainly adds to its charm. From an etymological perspective, though, this name is derived from the Latin “sollemnis”, meaning “solemn”.
• Solène (alternate spellings: Solenn and Solenne)
• Soline: This French girl’s name also originates from the Latin word “sollemnis” (which means “solemn”)

Although France is a language that evolved from Latin, it has some terms that come from Greek as well. Here are some French girl names starting with the letter ‘S’ that come from Greek:

• Stéphanie: Stéphanie is the feminine form of the French male name is Stéphane. This name can be traced back to the Greek word “stephanos” which can refer to a crown.
• Sandrine: Sandrine is derived from the name Alexandrine, a feminine form of the name Alexandre.
• Sophie: In France, Sophie is a name that is frequently used, both by itself as well as in the compound name Anne-Sophie. The name Sophie can be traced back to the Greek word “sophia” which means “knowledge”.

And here are some more names French female names that begin with the letter “S” and do not fit into the previous groups:

• Suzanne: Suzanne is the French form of the English name Susan. The origin of these names can be traced back to a Hebrew word that means “lily” (the flower).
• Simone (alternate spelling: Simonne) This is the feminine form of the male name Simon. A famous French person with this name is the author Simone de Beauvoir.
• Séverine: Séverine, the female form of the male name Séverin, can be traced back to the Latin adjective “severus” which means “serious” or “severe”.
• Ségolène: Ségolène is a French name of Germanic origin. It contains the Germanic roots “Sieg” (victory) and “lind” (gentle, soft)
• Suzette: Suzette is a name that arose as a diminutive form of the name Suzanne. This form expresses affection or familiarity. There is also a culinary connection to this name, as “Crepe Suzette” is an elegant dessert in French cuisine.
• Soizic: Soizic is a French girl’s name that comes from Breton, a Celtic language from Brittany, the westernmost region of France.

It's worth mentioning that in French, the letter 'C' is pronounced like an 'S' sound when it is followed by an 'e', an 'i', or a 'y'. So, French girl names like Céline, Cécile, and Célestine are phonetically similar to names that start with the letter 'S'. This is also the case for French boy names like Cédric, Cyril, and Cyprien.

French boy names that start with 'S'

Perhaps due to its soft and smooth sound, the letter ‘S’ is more frequently encountered at the beginning of French girl names than boy names. But there are still some boy names that start with this letter.

• Stéphane: This is the male version of the female name Stéphanie. It also originates from the Greek word “stephanos” which can refer to a crown.
• Sébastien: This name originates from the Greek word “sebastós” which means “venerable” and “revered”.
• Serge: Serge is a French male name that has the same Latin root as the names Sergio (in Italian) and Sergey (in the Slavic languages).
• Sylvain: Sylvain is a French boy’s name that comes from ancient Roman mythology. Sylvain is derived from Silvanus, the name of a Roman deity associated with woodlands and forests.
• Simon: Although Simon is an international name rather than a French name, the French language does have some compound names that include it, for instance: Pierre-Simon, Jean-Simon, and Simon-Olivier.
• Swan (alternate spelling: Swann). This name has literary connections: Charles Swann, often referred to simply as Swann, is one of the main characters in Marcel Proust's work “In Search of Lost Time” (À la recherche du temps perdu).

French last names that start with S

• Simon
• Seguin
• Sabatier
• Saunier
• Soler
• Sellier
• Sarrazin
• Soulier
• Sergent
• Simonet