This most interesting surname is a patronymic form of "Savin", which itself derives from the Old French masculine personal name "Sabin" or the feminine "Sabine", from the Latin "Sabinus, Sabina", the name of the Sabine tribe, an ancient Italic people of central Italy whose name is of uncertain origin. The masculine form of the name was borne by at least ten early saints, but the feminine form was more popular in England in the Middle Ages. The surname was probably first introduced into England by the Normans after the Conquest of 1066. Early examples of the surname include the marriage of Jhon Saveny to Jone Callyus on September 27th 1551, at St. Mary the Virgin's Church, Aldermanbury, London; the christening of Thomas Saven at Little Dunmow, Essex, on January 29th 1554; the christening of Edmund Savin on January 8th 1662 at St. Dunstan's, Stepney, London; and the christening of Marie Ann, daughter of Francois and Marie Savins on May 9th 1814, at Revin, in the Ardennes, France. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Margery Saven, which was dated March 2nd 1544, christened at St. Martin Orgar and St. Clement, Eastcheap, London, during the reign of King Henry V111, known as "Good King Hal", 1509 - 1547. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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