How to say it
sa · VAN · nah
səˈvæn.ə
Feminine
Savannah
Plain, grassland
What it means
From Spanish sabana, itself from the Taino zabana ('flat, treeless plain'). Savannah, Georgia (founded 1733) gave the name its dominant US anchor; it also entered the language as a generic ecological term.
Savannah comes from the Spanish sabana, borrowed from the Taino (Caribbean Arawakan) word zabana ('flat plain, grassland'). Spanish colonists used the word for the open grasslands they encountered in the Americas, and it entered English with the spelling Savannah. The city of Savannah, Georgia (founded by James Oglethorpe in 1733) is the strongest cultural anchor. As a given name Savannah is American and recent: rare before 1980, then climbing fast after the 1990 Disney remake of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (and the broader American-South coding). It's been in the US top 100 since 1994. Sav and Vanna are uncommon shorts.
How to spell Savannah
The standard spelling is Savannah. Common variants include Savanna, Savanah, but Savannah is the most widely used form.
Popularity over time
peaked at #30 in 2006, currently #135 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–2025. Reviewed July 2026. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Spelling
Savannah (the city and the dominant name spelling) has a double N and an H; Savanna without the H is the ecological term.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Savannah, Georgia Coastal city in Georgia, the historic colonial capital
- Savannah Guthrie American journalist, co-anchor of NBC's Today show
Spelling variants
- Savanna
- Savanah
Names with the same feeling
See Savannah from another angle
By meaning
By style
Common questions
- What does the name Savannah mean?
- From Spanish sabana, itself from the Taino zabana ('flat, treeless plain'). Savannah, Georgia (founded 1733) gave the name its dominant US anchor; it also entered the language as a generic ecological term.
- What does Savannah mean in Spanish?
- In Spanish, Savannah means "Plain, grassland." Savannah comes from the Spanish sabana, borrowed from the Taino (Caribbean Arawakan) word zabana ('flat plain, grassland'). Spanish colonists used the word for the open grasslands they encountered in the Americas, and it entered English with the spelling Savannah. The city of Savannah, Georgia (founded by James Oglethorpe in 1733) is the strongest cultural anchor. As a given name Savannah is American and recent: rare before 1980, then climbing fast after the 1990 Disney remake of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (and the broader American-South coding). It's been in the US top 100 since 1994. Sav and Vanna are uncommon shorts.
- How do you pronounce Savannah?
- Savannah is pronounced səˈvæn.ə. Say it as sa-VAN-nah, with the stress on the "van" syllable.
- How do you spell Savannah?
- The standard spelling is Savannah. Common spelling variants include Savanna, Savanah.
- Is Savannah a boy or girl name?
- Savannah is traditionally a feminine name.
- How popular is the name Savannah?
- Savannah ranked #135 in the U.S. in 2025, according to Social Security Administration data.