2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Savana
A place name derived from the Spanish word "sabana" meaning "treeless plain."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Savana. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Savana surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Savana in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Savana, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Savana
The surname Savana has its origins in the region of Tuscany, Italy, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Italian word "savana," which means "savannah" or a grassy plain. This suggests that the name may have originated from an area with a similar landscape or from a family that resided in such a region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Savana can be found in the Florentine Codex, a 16th-century ethnographic work that documented the history and customs of the Aztec people. The document mentions a merchant named Pietro Savana, who traded goods between Italy and the New World.
In the 13th century, a nobleman named Guglielmo Savana was recorded as owning a vast estate near the town of Siena. His descendants continued to use the surname Savana, and it is believed that several branches of the family spread across Italy and beyond.
During the Renaissance period, the Savana name gained prominence in the world of art and literature. Luca Savana (1457-1524) was a renowned painter from Florence, known for his intricate frescoes adorning several churches in the city. Additionally, Antonio Savana (1492-1568) was a celebrated poet and philosopher who wrote extensively on the virtues of humanism.
In the 17th century, a prominent military figure, Marcantonio Savana (1615-1688), gained recognition for his role in the defense of Crete against the Ottoman Empire. His bravery and leadership earned him the title of "Cavaliere" (Knight) and the respect of his peers.
Another notable figure with the surname Savana was Elisabetta Savana (1721-1799), a botanist and naturalist from Venice. She made significant contributions to the study of plant species found in the Mediterranean region and was one of the first women to be admitted to the prestigious Accademia dei Lincei, a renowned scientific academy in Rome.
Over the centuries, the Savana surname has spread across various regions of Italy and beyond, with some variations in spelling, such as Savanna or Savane. While the name may have originated from a specific geographic area, it has become a part of the rich tapestry of Italian culture and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Savana
Among Census respondents with the surname Savana, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Savana bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Savana surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.2% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino13.3% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.5% · 9
- Black or African American4.2% · 5
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Savana
Savana appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+19 bearers (+18.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 17,663 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +19 bearers (+18.8%) | Up 17,663 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Savana surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #159,712 | #142,049 | 11.1% |
| Count | 101 | 120 | 18.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 33.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Savana bearers went from 101 to 120 (+18.8% change). The surname moved up 17,663 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #142,049.
FAQ
Savana surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Savana?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Savana. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Savana?
Savana ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Savana. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Savana.
Has Savana become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Savana went from 101 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 19 (+18.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Savana?
Among Census respondents with the surname Savana, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Savana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.2% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Savana appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.2%), Hispanic (13.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Savana (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Savana mean?
A place name derived from the Spanish word "sabana" meaning "treeless plain." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Savana (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Savana?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.