Savona History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Italy

Etymology of Savona

What does the name Savona mean?

The name Savona is from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of the Britain and comes from Sabinus and Sabine; these are the masculine and feminine forms of the name, respectively. The personal name is derived from the Sabines, a people who lived in the Appenines northwest of Rome. By the third century BC the Sabines had become fully Romanized. There were three saints named Sabinus and one named Sabine. "In England, the woman's name was much the more common." 1

Another source confirms that the name was "originally Sabinus, a Roman personal name, implying a descent from the Sabine nation. Sabina, its feminine, is still used as a baptismal name." 2

And another source has a slightly different version, "A statue of 'Sabinus, planter of the vines' (the supposed eponymous of the Sabines), was among those remarked by Æneas when he entered the palace of Latinus." 3

Early Origins of the Savona family

The surname Savona was first found in Norfolk where the first record of the name was in the Latin form Sabina (1186-1210) and then later in the Curia Regis Rolls for Kent and Surrey in 1220. Later in Huntingdonshire, Rogerus filius Sabini was registered there in 1252. Richard Sabin was found in the Assize Rolls for Warwickshire in 1221 and John Sabine was recorded in the Hundredorum Rolls for Cheshire in 1279. 1

The same rolls also included Alexander Sabine in Essex. 4

In Somerset, ancient English rolls listed Sabyna Vesy and William Sabin, 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign). 5

Laurence William Savona (fl. 1485), was a Franciscan of London who graduated D.D. at Cambridge, where in 1478 he wrote his 'Margarita Eloquentiae' in three books. 6

Early History of the Savona family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Savona research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1662, 1689, 1691, 1695, 1704, 1730, 1739, 1758 and 1791 are included under the topic Early Savona History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Savona Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Savona has been spelled many different ways, including Sabine, Sabbe, Sabin, Sabyn, Sabben, Saban and many more.

Early Notables of the Savona family

Notables of the family at this time include General Joseph Sabine (c. 1662-1739), British Army officer who came of a family settled at Patricksbourne in Kent; his grandfather, Avery Sabine, was an alderman of Canterbury. Joseph was appointed captain lieutenant to Sir Henry Ingoldsby's regiment of foot on 8 March 1689, captain of the grenadier company before 18 Oct. 1689, major of...
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Savona Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Savona migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Savonas to arrive in North America:

Savona Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Savona, who landed in Mississippi in 1896 7

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)