| Savannah | Emilia | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Treeless plain | rival; eager, striving |
| Origin | Spanish | spanish |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | suh-VAN-uh | eh-MEE-lee-ah |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2000 (7,100) | 2021 (4,854) |
| In 2025 | 2,141 | 4,677 |
| Trend | Declining | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Savannah | Emilia |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 17,482 | 28,338 |
| 2010s | 51,869 | 24,348 |
| 2000s | 64,757 | 6,348 |
| 1990s | 44,716 | 2,209 |
| 1980s | 8,714 | 1,360 |
| 1970s | 232 | 726 |
| 1960s | 170 | 718 |
| 1950s | 326 | 686 |
| 1940s | 392 | 691 |
| 1930s | 429 | 798 |
| 1920s | 681 | 1,212 |
| 1910s | 637 | 895 |
| 1900s | 445 | 376 |
| 1890s | 379 | 238 |
| 1880s | 285 | 133 |
Savannah takes its name from the open grassy plain, via the Spanish sabana.
The feminine form of the Latin Aemilius, a Roman family name usually linked to aemulus 'rival, emulating, striving'. The same root lies behind Emiliano, Emily and Amelia (the latter is actually of separate Germanic origin, though the names are often confused).
Emilia is more popular than Savannah today: about 4,677 US babies were given the name Emilia in 2025, compared with 2,141 named Savannah.
Savannah means Treeless plain (Spanish origin), while Emilia means rival; eager, striving (spanish origin).
In US records, Savannah first appears in 1880 and Emilia in 1880, so Savannah has the longer recorded history.