The Name Savva
Savva is a male name of Aramaic origin meaning “elder”. Below are the forms of the name, name days in the Orthodox calendar, character by tradition, numerology, the first letter, talismans and compatibility with other names.
Origin and meaning
Savva is a male name of Aramaic origin. Meaning: “elder”. From the Aramaic saba, “elder, old man”. The name was made famous by Venerable Sabbas the Sanctified and St Sava of Serbia.
Forms of the name
| Full form | Savva |
| Short forms | Sava, Savushka |
| Affectionate forms | Savvushka |
Name days (angel’s day)
| December 16 | Venerable Savva of Storozhi, Zvenigorod |
| December 18 | Venerable Sabbas the Sanctified |
A name day is the feast of the saint after whom a person was baptised. If several saints share the name, custom is to celebrate the first feast after the birthday. Shown here are the main feasts in the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church, with civil (Gregorian) dates.
Character by tradition
Savva, by tradition, is a calm, sensible man with inner strength. He dislikes fuss and values solitude and serious pursuits. He can be stubborn. His strength is wisdom and self-control.
Name numerology
Letters of the name Savva («Савва») in the Russian 1–9 table: С 1 + А 1 + В 3 + В 3 + А 1 = 9. The sum is reduced to one digit; the master numbers 11, 22 and 33 are kept.
Name number 9 — service and breadth. Nine is the number of completion: compassion, a broad view, readiness to help. Such a name wants to be useful to many; the weak spot is giving oneself away.
Vowels give the soul number 2 (partnership and sensitivity), consonants the personality number 7 (analysis and intuition). Inner motive: partnership and sensitivity; outer manner: analysis and intuition. Such a gap is not bad in itself: others see one side, close people know the other.
In Slavic Cyrillic numerals (using the modern spelling of the name): С=200 + А=1 + В=2 + В=2 + А=1 = 206, reduced to 8. Letters that had no numeric value are skipped. This is an additional digit, not a second name number: meanings for the Cyrillic numerals were added in the 20th century, modeled on Western numerology.
More: name number with surname, Slavic Cyrillic numerals, number meanings.
First letter and letters of the name
In letter reading — a popular tradition of interpreting letters — the first letter of the name matters most: it sets the main tone of character. The other letters add shades.
С — common sense. A striving for material security, practicality; irritability when someone gets in the way.
Other letters: А — beginning and action; В — sociability and realism.
Talismans of the name
Name books usually derive talismans from the name number and its planet; lists differ between authors. Here we follow Cheiro (“Book of Numbers”): number 9 is linked with the planet Mars.
| Planet | Mars |
| Stones | ruby, garnet, bloodstone |
| Colours | red, crimson, pink |
| Favourable days | Tuesday |
Compatibility with other names
In numerology, compatibility of names is judged by their numbers. Number 9 goes most easily with 3 and 6, and has more friction with 4 and 8.
Goes well with: Antonina, Valeriya, Darya, Elizaveta, Karina, Margarita, Olesya, Rimma, Svetlana, Taisiya.
More friction with: Alisa, Galina, Ekaterina, Zlata, Lidiya, Faina.
Check a couple precisely: compatibility by name.
Outcome
The name Savva carries the meaning “elder”. Name number 9 — service and breadth; first letter S — common sense. Inner wishes (partnership and sensitivity) and outer manner (analysis and intuition) differ: a person with this name needs close people to see more than what is shown. Name days: December 16, December 18.