Savannha
A feminine name of Portuguese origin meaning "vast, treeless plain".
Name Census estimates that about 189 living Americans carry the first name Savannha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Savannha today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Savannha births was 2004 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Savannha. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
189
~ 1 in 1,813,515 Americans
Peak year
2004
15 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2011 SSA rank
#14,582
Tracked since 1987
Popularity
Savannha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Savannha from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 103 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Savannha by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Savannha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Savannha
The name Savannha is believed to have originated from the Spanish word "savana," which means "grassland" or "prairie." This term is derived from the Taino language, spoken by the indigenous people of the Caribbean region, particularly in the Greater Antilles islands.
The earliest known use of the name Savannha can be traced back to the 16th century, during the Spanish colonization of the Americas. It was likely given to children born in areas with vast grasslands or savannas, as a way to celebrate the natural beauty and abundance of the land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Savannha appears in the chronicles of Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, who led expeditions through the southeastern region of what is now the United States in the 1540s. He and his men encountered various Native American tribes, some of whom may have used variations of the name.
In the 17th century, Savannha became a popular name among Spanish settlers in the New World, particularly in regions with large savannas, such as Florida and parts of the Caribbean. Notable individuals with this name from this period include Savannha Fernández de Córdoba (1612-1678), a wealthy landowner and rancher in Cuba.
As the name spread across the Atlantic, it gained popularity in other European countries, particularly in France and England. In the 18th century, Savannha Dupont (1734-1802) was a renowned French botanist and explorer who studied the flora and fauna of the savannas in South America.
During the 19th century, the name Savannha became more widespread in the English-speaking world. One notable figure was Savannha Lovelace (1815-1852), an English mathematician and writer who was one of the first computer programmers and worked closely with Charles Babbage, the inventor of the analytical engine.
In the 20th century, Savannha Preston (1920-2008) was an American author and conservationist who wrote extensively about the preservation of savannas and grasslands in the United States. She played a crucial role in the establishment of several national parks and protected areas.
People
Savannha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Savannha as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Savannha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Savannha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 189 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Savannha going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,813,515 US residents.
Is Savannha a common name?
We classify Savannha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 193 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Savannha most popular?
The single biggest year for Savannha was 2004, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Savannha is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Savannha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Savannha in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.