What does Savannah mean?
Savannah comes from the English word for a large grassy plain. That word reached English through Spanish sabana, from Taíno, an Indigenous language of the Caribbean. The name therefore has a landscape meaning and a word history that traveled between languages.
American use of Savannah as a first name dates to the nineteenth century. It became more familiar again during the 1980s, with the film Savannah Smiles helping bring the spelling to public attention. Savanna and Savanah are related spellings; Savannah keeps the final h while preserving the same usual English sound.
The landscape image is one of open grassland rather than a particular flower or tree. This places Savannah alongside other nature names, while its three syllables give it a longer shape than names such as Brook or Fern.
Savannah Smiles and the screen
The 1982 film Savannah Smiles made the name part of its title. Writer and actor Mark Miller had originally planned the project with his daughter Savannah in the central role. By the time the film moved into production, she had outgrown the part, and Bridgette Andersen was chosen to play the child.
The production was filmed in Utah, and its initial release there in April 1982 preceded wider distribution. Andersen's performance and the repeated use of Savannah in the title helped make the name recognizable to families encountering the film. The connection is to a named child character and a family film, adding a specific screen history to the grassland word.
Savannah Guthrie and children's books
Journalist Savannah Guthrie gives the name a later television association through NBC's Today. Her work has also extended into children's publishing, including Princesses Wear Pants, written with parent educator Allison Oppenheim and published in September 2017.
Illustrated by Eva Byrne, the picture book follows Princess Penelope of the Pineapple Kingdom. She wears pants for activities such as riding, gardening, and science experiments. When Lady Busyboots insists on a gown for the annual Pineapple Ball, Penelope has to find a way to express herself within the occasion's expectations.
Pronunciation and related spelling
Savannah is pronounced suh-VAN-uh, with three syllables and stress on the middle one. Savanna is the closely related spelling that also matches the alternative English spelling of the landscape word. Savanah reduces the double n. The full name begins and ends with softer unstressed syllables around its clear central stress.
Savannah in the United States
Savannah's highest American girls' count was 7,100 in 2000. Its best rank came in 2006, at No. 30. In 2025, 2,141 girls received the name, placing it at No. 135. Its largest American newborn generation followed the revival associated with the 1980s film.
Sources & methodologyReferences, data & attribution
Meaning and history draw on the references below. American popularity figures use published Social Security Administration records for this exact spelling; counts below five for a name, sex, and year are omitted.
- Wiktionary: Savannah (English)
- U.S. Social Security Administration: national name data and limitations
- Wikidata: Savannah Guthrie
- Wikidata: Savannah Outen
- Wikidata: Savannah Sutherland
- Wikidata: Savannah Phillips
- Wikidata: Savannah Marshall
- Wikidata: Savannah Gold
- Wiktionary: savanna, Spanish, and Taíno word history
- American Film Institute: Savannah Smiles
- Abrams: Princesses Wear Pants and its authors
- Abrams: book announcement and themes
Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
How popular is Savannah?
In 2025, Savannah ranked #135 among girls in the United States, with 2,141 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1880; its largest annual count was 7,100 in 2000. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.