Xavier
Xavier was the 108th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 3,232 babies. Its best year was 2007, when it ranked 68th with 6,561 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 18 places. More babies were named Xavier in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning new house (Basque place name) · Basque, Spanish
Say it ZAY-vee-er /ˈzeɪviər/
- Rank in 2025
- #108 boys, down 17 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 3,232boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20076,561 babies
- Total since 1880
- 161,200babies recorded
What does the name Xavier mean?
Xavier comes from the surname of Saint Francis Xavier, the 16th-century Jesuit missionary, who took it from his family's castle at Javier (Xabier in Basque) in Navarre, northern Spain. The place name is Basque etxe berri, 'new house', which also gave the surname Echeverría. Catholic families began naming sons after the saint, and Spanish Javier is the same name. English speakers say ZAY-vee-er or ig-ZAY-vee-er.
etxe (Basque, “house”)berri (Basque, “new”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Javier, Xabier, Xavi, Zavier, Saverio.
See also: names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Xavier', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Xavier (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'Echeverría', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Xavier
The usual nicknames for Xavier are Xavi. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Xavier in the last five years, 3 were named Xavi, against fewer than 1 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xavi | Modern | #1,545 | 555 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Xaviers go by each one.
Xavier popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 868 since 1960, 9 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #108 | 3,232 |
| 2020 | #91 | 3,902 |
| 2010 | #71 | 5,765 |
| 2000 | #103 | 3,640 |
| 1990 | #186 | 1,647 |
| 1980 | #464 | 331 |
| 1970 | #549 | 221 |
| 1960 | #702 | 126 |
| 1950 | #871 | 63 |
| 1940 | #1,432 | 23 |
| 1930 | #1,887 | 17 |
| 1920 | #4,982 | 5 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | #812 | 8 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Xavier, counting every spelling?
Xavier is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #115 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #108 for Xavier on its own. Together these spellings went to 3,352 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xavier | 3,232 | #108 | 17,380 |
| Xzavier | 120 | #1,485 | 752 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Xavier?
3,232 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Xavier (0.90 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Xavier born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 3 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Xavier.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Xavier?
About 156,200 people born in the US named Xavier are alive today, with a median age of 18; half are between 11 and 25. That makes Xavier mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Xavier by state
How common Xavier was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Mexico (2.6×), Nevada (2.0×), District of Columbia (2.0×), West Virginia (1.9×), Delaware (1.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Iowa, Utah, Massachusetts.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Xavier: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Xavier, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Xavier · Sibling names for Xavier
Questions about the name Xavier
What does Xavier mean?
Xavier means “new house (Basque place name)” (Basque, Spanish origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Xavier?
Xavier was the 108th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 3,232 babies. Its best year was 2007, when it ranked 68th with 6,561 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 18 places. More babies were named Xavier in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Xavier a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Xavier in the US.
Where is Xavier most popular?
In 2021–2025, Xavier was most common in New Mexico (5.16 per 1,000 boys), followed by Nevada and District of Columbia.