Savana

Meaning & origin

Savana is a modern respelling of the classic name Savannah, which itself derives from the Spanish word 'sabana' meaning a treeless grassy plain. The name entered the U.S. naming pool in 1911, but it remained rare for most of the 20th century. It saw a significant rise in the 1990s, reaching its peak rank of 1,945 in 2000. Since then, its usage has declined steadily; in 2025 it ranked 5,722, with roughly 1 in every 76,537 newborn girls receiving the name. While the spelling Savana has not been recorded in any top states as a distinct variant, its popularity mirrors the broader trend of streamlined spellings of names like Savannah and Savanna. The name is almost exclusively given to girls.

Savana is a modern respelling of the classic name Savannah, which itself derives from the Spanish word 'sabana', meaning a treeless grassy plain. This word entered Spanish from the Taíno language of the Caribbean. The name Savannah has been in use since the 19th century, influenced by the city of Savannah, Georgia. Savana is a streamlined variant that gained visibility as parents sought simpler spellings of popular names, particularly in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.