Nickname: Savvy

Lara writes:

Hey! I’m emailing on behalf of a friend, who recently heard the name Savvy (that’s s-a-v-v-y, not s-a-w-y) and loved it. However, she would prefer to use it as a nickname for something rather than a proper name. The only name we can think of is Savannah. Are there any other names out there that Savvy would be a good nickname for?

THANKS!!!

I looked in the index of The Baby Name Wizard to find all names starting with “Sav,” and found this list:

Savanna
Savannah
Savina
Savion
Savvas

Well, hm. If it’s the SOUND she likes, she could use a name that gives a similar nickname such as Sabby or Saffy or Saphy.

Sabina
Sabrina
Saffron
Saphira
Sapphira
Sapphire

And of course she could make up a name. Saveela. Savayla. Savella. Savona. Saveena. Savika. Savrina. Savira. Savinna. Savayna. Saverra. Well, I am not very good at making up names, but maybe she is.

I do think, though, that the name you thought of is the best way to get the nickname: Savannah/Savanna is the clearest route to Savvy.

19 thoughts on “Nickname: Savvy

  1. Kayt

    I like Saffron or Sabrina. If I ever have a daughter, she’ll probably be Daphne, but we plan on calling her Dav or Davi for a nickname (short a, like Daff/Daffy, but with a v sound). It’s the same sort of issue here. In my mind, the F and V sounds are so similar in English, they can be kind of interchanged when you’re extracting a nickname.

    Reply
  2. Carolyn

    I knew a little girl of Indian descent named Savi (pronounced sah-vi). Maybe try Indian baby names for some inspiration, or just use Savvy if that’s the name you like!

    Reply
  3. Tracy H.

    Instead of searching for a name that started with SAV, I searched for a name that contained the letters SAV in the name and the only name that came up was Elisavet. It says it’s the Greek form of Elizabeth. I think it’s quite pretty and could lend itself to the nn Savvy. I do like Savannah as well though, so don’t rule that one out!

    Reply
  4. Zanna

    I know a lady of Indian descent whose name is Savita. I’ve always thought it was very pretty and it would be more unique than Savannah if that’s what you’re looking for.

    Reply
  5. Karen L

    How about a double name or first-middle combo that gets a Sa and a V in there?
    Sally-Violet
    Sarah Veronika
    Samantha Ivy

    Reply
  6. beyond

    i have a balinese friend called Sawitri (interchangeable with Savitri) and i’ve always thought it was a lovely name.
    otherwise i found Savesti and Savian.

    Reply
  7. Dearest

    I did a Nemeberry search for names starting with Sav and found Savilla and Savonne… Savonne is pretty sassy!

    Also thought of Siobhan which may be a stretch, but with the pronunciation being sheh-VAWN it may not be too strange?

    Serafina will give you Saffy
    Saveria or Saverina are Italian forms of Xavier, which makes me thing of Severine/Severina which will give you Sevvy which could easily be mistaken for Savvy…

    Sappho will also give you Saffy, but you’d have to be brave!

    The Norwegian Siv/Sif, meaning ‘wife’ will maybe give you Savvy, and there’s also the Norse Ellisiv which is a form of Elisabeth. Ellisiv nn Savvy?

    Lisaveta is a Ukrainian form of Elisabeth also containing Sav to get Savvy…

    I have to say I can really sympathise with how you’re feeling! I love Savvy but Savannah is just too trendy! Also love Art and Dot, but neither Arthur or Dorothy have any appeal to me…

    Also, someone mentioned Svea with the wrong pronunciation (sa-vey-a). It’s pronounced more like SVEH-ah or SVAY-ah and is a really nice name :)

    Best of luck!!

    Reply
  8. Daycare Girl

    I read a book once with a character named Stavia and they called her Stavvy a lot. Something along those lines might work- I like the Indian name suggestions.

    Also, something to consider, the word savvy is an actual adjective, so make sure their last name doesn’t make a sentence, like for example Savvy Hunter. Savvy Hooker would be even worse. :)

    Reply
  9. Carolyn

    Just had another thought–with the nn Sophie being so popular, what about Sophia nn Savvy to give it kind of a fresh twist? It’s kind of a stretch, but that’s the nature of nicknames. For example, Jenny was originally a nn of Janet, which I would never have connected.

    Reply
  10. Anonymous

    If it’s Savvy she likes than just name her Savvy. Why bother with making more of the name when she likely will never be called it anyway? Just a though…

    Reply
  11. Lara + Chris

    Anon, I understand where the nickname is coming from. Savvy is great for a child or toddler, but what if she doesn’t want to be a CEO named Savvy? With cute nicknames, it’s nice to have an “adult” name to fall back on. I know someone who named their child “Gracie” and it drives me nuts, because she’s still most likely going to want to be a “Grace” when she gets older.

    Reply
  12. Anonymous

    I like Savvy as a nickname for Savannah. I actually have a friend whose dog is Savannah and called Savvy often. We just were in puppy classes and met 3 dogs named Savvy, just so she knows it may be on the rise (random?). Savella is a new drug name. I liked that name and am mad, just like I was when Allegra became a drug. Saphira is also pretty!

    Reply
  13. Anonymous

    Alright.. I came across this blog for entirely opposite reason. I was looking if Savvy was a good nickname for a boy. I am planning to name my boy Sathvik (Satvik) and wondering if Savvy is a good nick name for a boy. Any suggestions?

    And btb, Satvik (boy) or Sativika (gril) are very nice names if your options are still open. Both are originated from Sanskrit which means polite/pious

    Reply
  14. Anonymous

    If you’re still curious I have always loved the name Savedra (or Saavedra) It’s the name of a girl in a book called the Golden Key. It would work perfectly with Savvy.

    Reply

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