From the name of the city of Savona in northern Italy, called Savo by the Romans, of uncertain meaning.

E. De Felice indicates that this surname derives from the place name of the Ligurian city of Savona.

E. Rossoni broadens this information, noting that the surname presents multiple independent lines of origin (ceppi), arisen in different regions without a direct relation between them. He identifies specific zones where it is present: a nucleus in Liguria and another in the Cagliari area —of Ligurian origin—, a nucleus between the Rome and Frosinone areas, one in the Naples area and another in western Sicily. According to Rossoni, they all derive from the Ligurian place name Savona or from a medieval name taken from that city, following the medieval custom of imposing on children the names of the most important Italian cities, later to transform into a surname.