Name Awesome

Sava

#9,562 in 2025UnisexBoys' nameGirls' name

Grandfather, old man

Sava has been given to 222 babies in the U.S. since 2000. In 2025 it ranked #9,562 of 13,926 boys’ names in use. Its peak year was 2022, with 15 recorded. It's used for both sexes: 95% boys, 5% girls all-time.

Babies named Sava, 2025

1 in 414,000

Sava over time, 1880–2025

BoysGirls
05101518801900192019401960198020002020

Based on births in the U.S. Babies given the name each year. Hover the chart — or focus it and use the arrow keys — for any year. Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.

Girls or boys — Sava over time

In 2025, Sava went to 0% girls and 100% boys.

20002025

A sex is only published in years it reached five applications, so a stretch at 0% or 100% means the other side stayed under that floor — not that it was never used.

Sava: meaning, origin, and history

Grandfather, old man

Deeper origin not confirmed in the cited records

What Sava means

Sava means “grandfather, old man”, associated with סבא.

Dictionary etymologyReferences, data & attribution

From Ancient Greek Σάββας (Sábbas), a spiritual name taken on by Prince Rastko Nemanjić (Saint Sava) upon becoming a monk, from Aramaic סבא (“grandfather, old man”)

Excerpt from Wiktionary: Sava (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Origin, language, and formation

Sava is used in English and Serbo-Croatian.

Sava comes through Ancient Greek Σάββας and Aramaic סבא.

Related names and everyday forms

Related names include Сава.

Pronunciation and spelling

In Serbo-Croatian, Sava is pronounced /sâːʋa/.

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 212 boys were recorded with the name Sava between 2000 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 15 in 2022; its best national rank was #6,091 in 2022.

Over 5 years its rank rose, from #11,775 in 2020 to #9,562 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank rose, from #11,840 in 2015 to #9,562 in 2025.

In the United States, 10 girls were recorded with the name Sava between 2013 and 2024. Its highest annual count was 5 in 2013; its best national rank was #17,271 in 2024.

How common is Sava?

Everything below is computed from the 2025 data — the most recent year available.

Among all babies, 2025
1 in 414,000
8 of 3,315,165 births
Among boys only
1 in 213,000
<0.01% of boys
Rank, 2025
#9,562
of 13,926 boys’ names in use
Coin-flip room size
287,238 kids
Even odds of a second one

Where Sava sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Liam (20,818)

Chance at least one other child shares the name

If the other children were drawn at random from the 2025 national name distribution. Real classrooms cluster by region and community, so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling.

Class of 20Under 1%
Class of 30Under 1%
Grade of 100Under 1%
School of 500Under 1%

Put another way: gather 287,238 children born in 2025 and it's an even bet that one of them is another Sava. In a class of 30 the chance is Under 1%.

When Savas were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as Sava was born before 2015 — so the typical Sava is around 10 today.

Median birth year
2015
About 10 years old
Biggest decade
2010s
41.0% of all use
Born in the last 25 years
96.2%
A modern name
Recorded since 1950
212
People you could plausibly meet
Choose a decade

2010s — 41.0% of all recorded uses (87).

Is Sava rising or falling?

Rank movement and count movement can disagree — the number of distinct names in use keeps growing, so a name holding a steady count still slides down the list. Both are shown.

Rank vs 1 year ago
−2,806
Places dropped
Rank vs 5 years ago
+2,213
Places climbed
Rank vs 10 years ago
+2,278
Places climbed
Births vs 10 years ago
1.33×
More babies than then
Share of its own peak
53.3%
Peak was 2022 (15)
Years since peak
3
Years
Year-to-year steadiness
Volatile
33.8% average annual change
Best rank ever
#6,091
2022

Spellings of Sava

Sava is not the most common spelling — Sam is, with 29.2% against Sava's 0.05%.

Grouped by closeness of spelling (up to two letter changes), same sex, with a floor on all-time use. It catches Sophia/Sofia and Aiden/Ayden, and misses spellings that sound alike but look different, like Sean and Shawn.

Sava around the world

Where Sava ranks in official birth records elsewhere in the world. Rankings only — the number of births isn’t comparable between places, so it isn’t shown.

  • England & Wales
    2016–2023
    #4,992
    in 2023
  • France
    1977–1977
    #2,393
    in 1977
  • Canada
    1996–2020
    #2,945
    in 2020
  • South Australia
    1962–2008
    #726
    in 2008

Popularity data from Office for National Statistics, Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques, Statistics Canada and Consumer and Business Services (South Australia). ONS data under Open Government Licence v3.0. INSEE data under Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0. StatCan data under Statistics Canada Open Licence. CBS SA data under CC BY 4.0.

Sava by the numbers

The raw record for each sex the name is used for.

As a boy's name

Rank in 2025
#9,562
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Up 2,213
Best rank ever
#6,091
2022
Peak year
2022
15 that year
First recorded
2000
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
212
Count in 2025
8

As a girl's name

Rank in 2025
Unranked
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
—
Best rank ever
#17,271
2024
Peak year
2013
5 that year
First recorded
2013
Last recorded
2024
All-time count
10
Count in 2025
Under 5

Names similar to Sava

Matched on shared beginnings and endings, similar length, and comparable popularity.

SavioSavvaSavienSavierSavageSavianSavoySavyonSaviourAvaSavinoSavirSavanSaviorSavantSaveonSavonSavasSavvasSavarSaviSavalasSavannahSavin

Sibling names for Sava

Names from the same era and popularity tier — the two things that make a sibling set feel deliberate — skipping lookalike spellings and shared initials.

Explore around Sava

Top names of 2022, Sava's peak yearThe 2020s in fullOther names that peaked in 2022Boys' names starting with S