Savage Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Savage last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Savage last name
Meaning of the Savage last name: wild, of the woods. The Savage surname comes from Old French sauvage, "wild", a nickname that could also mean someone who lived in the woods. The Normans brought it to England, and in Ireland a Savage family settled in the Ards of County Down, where the last name took Gaelic form. A curious detail of this family name meaning: the word was used for boldness and spirit more than for cruelty.
Arms associated with the Savage name
Irish coats of arms often carry a motto in Irish or Latin, and the heraldry associated with the Savage surname shares that habit.
Get your full Savage family history
This is only a glimpse of the Savage story. The full Savage history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Savage coat of arms. Get the full Savage report.
Savage name FAQ
What does the Savage name mean?
Wild, of the woods. Common variants include Savadge, Le Sauvage, Sauvage.
Where does the Savage surname come from?
It originates in Ireland, and is also found in England, the United States and Australia.
Is there a Savage coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Savage coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: G. F. Savage-Armstrong, A Genealogical History of the Savage Family in Ulster (1906); The Irish Times, Irish Roots column; MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland.