Savannah

Savannah smells of magnolias and salt air, named for the Georgia port city founded in 1733 and, beyond that, for the wide grasslands the Spanish called sabana, borrowed in turn from the Taino zabana. The name entered broad American use in the late 1980s, buoyed by the film Savannah Smiles and the Southern Gothic revival, and cracked the top 40 by the early 2000s. Three long syllables roll out unhurried, sa-VAN-ah, like something being poured. It carries porch swings, live oaks, and a certain unbothered confidence. Savannah is a name built for long summer evenings and a child who takes her time.