FastNamesSavannah
Spanish, Native American and English name meaning "Derived from Spanish sabana, borrowed from indigenous Taíno zabana ('tropical grassland or treeless plain'), also popularized as a given name by the historic, moss-draped coastal city in Georgia.". Ranked 135th for girls in 2025.
Meaning and origin of Savannah
Derived from Spanish sabana, borrowed from indigenous Taíno zabana ('tropical grassland or treeless plain'), also popularized as a given name by the historic, moss-draped coastal city in Georgia.
Linguistically, Savannah is classified under Spanish, Native American and English naming traditions. It is typically pronounced "suh-VAN-uh".
Popularity and ranking
In official US Social Security birth records from 1880 through 2025, Savannah has been given to a total of 191,514 girls. It has also been given to 222 boys.
Peak year: Savannah reached its highest relative share among girls in 1996, when 7,000 babies received the name (3,993 per million births).
All-time best rank: 30th place, first achieved in 2006.
Recent standing (2025): Ranked 135th with 2,141 births. Ten years earlier in 2015, it ranked 38th (down 97 spots).
Busiest decade: More girls were named Savannah in the 2000s than in any other decade (64,757 births).
| Decade | Recorded births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 285 |
| 1890s | 379 |
| 1900s | 445 |
| 1910s | 637 |
| 1920s | 681 |
| 1930s | 429 |
| 1940s | 392 |
| 1950s | 326 |
| 1960s | 170 |
| 1970s | 232 |
| 1980s | 8,714 |
| 1990s | 44,716 |
| 2000s | 64,757 |
| 2010s | 51,869 |
| 2020s | 17,482 |
Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
Where Savannah is most common in the US
Accounting for when Savannah was in fashion nationally, it has been most heavily concentrated in the following states (measured against the expected rate from each state's births):
- South Carolina: 1.8 times the national rate (4,061 births since 1910).
- West Virginia: 1.8 times the national rate (1,603 births since 1910).
- Alaska: 1.8 times the national rate (549 births since 1910).
- Alabama: 1.8 times the national rate (4,526 births since 1910).
- Delaware: 1.7 times the national rate (638 births since 1910).
Source: Social Security Administration, baby names by state, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a state in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
How many people have the name Savannah?
About 187,000 living American girls and women share the name Savannah. Additionally, an estimated 210 living American boys and men share the name.
The median age of an American named Savannah is 20 years old.
Estimated from Social Security Administration records (1880–2025) and official SSA cohort mortality tables.
History of the name Savannah
Savannah possesses a rich ecological and etymological journey, stemming from the Taíno word zabana, describing expansive, flat tropical grasslands. Spanish explorers incorporated the word into Castilian as sabana during fifteenth-century Caribbean voyages, after which English geographers adopted savannah to designate subtropical savannas throughout the American South.
In 1733, English general James Oglethorpe founded the historic colonial port of Savannah, Georgia, situated along the Savannah River (itself derived from the indigenous Shawnee or Savanna people). The city became renowned for its lush town squares, antebellum architecture, and southern romanticism, inspiring nineteenth- and twentieth-century parents to adopt the place name for daughters.
In the United States, Savannah transitioned into a mainstream baby name in the 1980s, rocketing into the national top one hundred by 1993 and peaking inside the top thirty in the 2000s and 2010s. Its flowing, romantic cadence and organic natural connections make Savannah a modern staple of Southern charm and geographic grace.
Notable people named Savannah
- Savannah Guthrie (1971–), American broadcast journalist and Today show co-anchor
- Savannah Chrisley (1997–), American reality television star and entrepreneur
- Savannah James (1986–), American businesswoman and philanthropist
- Savannah Harmon (1995–), American professional ice hockey defender and Olympic silver medalist
Variants and related names
Spelling variants
Diminutives and nicknames
Related names
Sources and references
- Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle, Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of First Names (2006), p. 242.
- Douglas Harper. Online Etymology Dictionary. Reference link.
- George R. Stewart. American Place Names (1970), p. 427.