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At a Glance: Name: Xavier – Meaning: new house (Basque place name) – Origin: Basque – Gender: Boy – Pronunciation: ZAY-vee-er
Xavier is a boy's name rooted in Basque, meaning "new house" — it's a doublet of Echeverria, built from etxe ("house") and berri ("new"). You may run across the popular claim that Xavier means "bright" or "splendid," but that's not supported by any source; the documented meaning is the Basque place-name sense above. It's pronounced ZAY-vee-er (IPA /ˈzeɪviər/), and Social Security data has tracked it as a classic name choice from 1886 through 2024.
Meaning & Origin of Xavier
Meaning: New house (basque place name).
Origin: Basque.
A common claim: Xavier is very commonly said to mean 'bright' or 'splendid.' Actually: 'Bright' isn't supported by any source — Xavier is a doublet of Echeverría and is documented to mean 'new house' (Basque etxe 'house' + berri 'new').
Source: Wiktionary, Wikipedia.
How to Pronounce Xavier
Phonetic: ZAY-vee-er IPA: /ˈzeɪviər/
Popularity of Xavier
Xavier peaked at #68 in 2007 with 6,560 babies given the name, and by 2024 it had settled to #102 with 3,337.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1886–2024.
Make Xavier Name Art
Free printable nursery art for Xavier, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.
Names With a Similar Story
Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.
FAQ
What does the name Xavier mean?
New house (basque place name). (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Xavier)
How do you pronounce Xavier?
Xavier is pronounced ZAY-vee-er (IPA: /ˈzeɪviər/).
Is Xavier a popular name right now?
Xavier peaked at #68 in 2007 and is ranked #102 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1886–2024.)
📊 How popular is Xavier? See the full popularity history, trend data, and ranking since 1880 with our free Baby Name Popularity Checker.
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