Savannah
Savannah was the 135th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,141 babies. Its best year was 2006, when it ranked 30th; the most babies were born in 2000 (7,100). Over the last ten years it has moved down 97 places. More babies were named Savannah in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning grassy plain; the Georgia city · Spanish, Taíno, American English
Say it suh-VAN-uh /səˈvænə/
- Rank in 2025
- #135 girls, down 68 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 2,141girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20007,100 babies
- Total since 1880
- 191,736babies recorded
What does the name Savannah mean?
Savannah has two related sources. Wikipedia says the name comes either from the city of Savannah, Georgia, or from savanna, a grassy plain with few trees. The English word savanna came through Spanish sabana from Taíno, a language of the Caribbean. The city is named after the Savannah River, and Wiktionary suggests that river name may come from Shawnee or another Algonquian language. Wikipedia also links some of the name's rise in the 1980s to the 1982 film Savannah Smiles.
sabana (Spanish, “grassy plain”)savanna (English, “grassy plain”)
How sure is this? Probable. Both sources (word and place) are clear, but the origin of the river and city name is uncertain.
Related names: Savanna, Savana, Vannah.
See also: Spanish names, names that mean meadow, hill or valley, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Savannah', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'savanna', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Savannah (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Savannah
The usual nicknames for Savannah are Savvy.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Savvy | Modern | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Savannahs go by each one.
Savannah popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 222 since 1911.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #135 | 2,141 |
| 2020 | #67 | 3,545 |
| 2010 | #44 | 5,386 |
| 2000 | #37 | 7,100 |
| 1990 | #205 | 1,401 |
| 1980 | #2,210 | 46 |
| 1970 | #2,505 | 30 |
| 1960 | #2,711 | 21 |
| 1950 | #1,392 | 44 |
| 1940 | #1,130 | 42 |
| 1930 | #1,158 | 42 |
| 1920 | #773 | 89 |
| 1910 | #532 | 60 |
| 1900 | #465 | 53 |
| 1890 | #460 | 33 |
| 1880 | #418 | 17 |
How popular is Savannah, counting every spelling?
Savannah is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #138 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #135 for Savannah on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,405 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Savannah | 2,141 | #135 | 13,937 |
| Savanna | 222 | #1,090 | 1,697 |
| Savanah | 21 | #5,880 | 250 |
| Savana | 21 | #5,879 | 155 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Savannah?
2,141 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Savannah (0.59 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Savannah born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 4 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Savannah.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Savannah?
About 186,300 people born in the US named Savannah are alive today, with a median age of 20; half are between 12 and 28. That makes Savannah mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Savannah by state
How common Savannah was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Delaware (3.5×), Alaska (2.2×), Connecticut (2.1×), New Hampshire (2.1×), Rhode Island (1.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Vermont, Hawaii, Washington.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Savannah: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Savannah, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Savannah · Sibling names for Savannah
Questions about the name Savannah
What does Savannah mean?
Savannah means “grassy plain; the Georgia city” (Spanish, Taíno, American English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Savannah?
Savannah was the 135th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,141 babies. Its best year was 2006, when it ranked 30th; the most babies were born in 2000 (7,100). Over the last ten years it has moved down 97 places. More babies were named Savannah in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Savannah a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Savannah in the US.
Where is Savannah most popular?
In 2021–2025, Savannah was most common in Delaware (6.08 per 1,000 girls), followed by Alaska and Connecticut.