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Home › Baby Names Directory › Xavier

Xavier

♀ Girl

Pronounced ZAY-vee-ur /ˈzeɪ.vi.ər/High

Meaning: From the Basque place name Etxeberria/Xabier, 'the new house,' carried worldwide by St Francis Xavier, the sixteenth-century Jesuit missionary born at Xavier Castle in Navarre. It is overwhelmingly a boy's name; used here for a girl, and we flag that plainly.Medium

In 30 seconds: A Basque place-name turned classic: Xavier means 'the new house' (said 'ZAY-vee-ur'). It is overwhelmingly a boy's name — we flag that plainly.
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Origin HighBasque, Spanish
MeaningFrom the Basque place name Etxeberria/Xabier, 'the new house,' carried worldwide by St Francis Xavier, the sixteenth-century Jesuit missionary born at Xavier Castle in Navarre. It is overwhelmingly a boy's name; used here for a girl, and we flag that plainly.
U.S. rank (2024)#15110 ↘ Falling
2024 U.S. births6 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1991
Total births (all-time)≈ 859

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 199119602024

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Xavier comes from the Basque Xabier (Etxeberria), 'the new house.' It spread across the Catholic world through St Francis Xavier, the sixteenth-century Jesuit missionary born at Xavier Castle in Navarre, and has been a boys' name ever since. Used here for a girl, it remains overwhelmingly masculine in practice — families should choose with open eyes (said 'ZAY-vee-ur').

For girls it appears very rarely in the U.S., against very heavy boys' use. Rare for girls, historic, and boy-leaning.

Did you know? Xavier began as a Basque place — 'the new house' — and became a given name through St Francis Xavier, who took his name from his family's castle. It is overwhelmingly a boy's name, which we state plainly (said 'ZAY-vee-ur').
Overall data confidence 65%
References — Xavier — Basque Xabier 'new house'; St Francis Xavier; strongly boy-leaning

Variations

XavieraJavierXavia

Nicknames

XaviVee

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Xavier…

Xaviera— the established feminine form
Xiomara— a like X- girl's name
Javier— the Spanish form of the same name
Ximena— a like Spanish X- classic

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Xavier mean?

Xavier is from the Basque place name Xabier, 'the new house,' carried worldwide by St Francis Xavier.

How do you pronounce Xavier?

It's said ZAY-vee-ur /ˈzeɪ.vi.ər/ — three syllables, stress on the first.

Is Xavier a boy or girl name?

Xavier is overwhelmingly a boy's name. It is used here for a girl, but the boys' lean is very strong — we flag that plainly. Xaviera is the established feminine form.

How popular is Xavier?

Xavier is very rare for girls in the U.S. and much more common for boys.

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