Sava

Gender: Masculine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: “old man.”
Сава; Савва; Sაბა

The name is derived from the Greek, Sabas, which is derived from the Hebrew, סַבָא (sava) meaning “old man; grandfather.”

It was borne by one of the most notable and influential saints of the Serbian Orthodox Church, (1127-1235). St. Sava was a Serbian prince and monk, the youngest son of Stefan Nemanja. He is revered as the patron saint of Serbia.

The name was borne by several other Orthodox Christian saints, including the Romanian saint, Sabbas the Goth.

Sava is also the name of a river which runs through Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia. As a result, it has occasionally been used as a feminine name, mostly among Bosnian Muslims. A Slovenian feminine form is Savica.

As of 2011, its Georgian form of Saba was the 4th most popular male name in Georgia.

The designated name-days are December 5 (Bulgaria) and November 14 (Czech Republic).

Other forms of the name include:

• Sava Сава (Belarusssian/Bulgarian/Croatian/Macedonian/Romanian/Serbian/Slovene/Ukrainian)
• Saba საბა (Georgian)
• Sabas (Greek/Spanish)
• Száva (Hungarian)
• Sawa (Polish)
• Savva Савва (Russian)

Sources

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Sava
   
2. http://www.behindthename.com/name/sava