The

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

Xavier (, , , , ; ; ) is a masculine name derived from the 16th-century Navarrese

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

Saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

Francis Xavier Francis Xavier, Jesuits, SJ (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; ; ; ; ; ; 7 April 15063 December 1552), venerated as Saint Francis Xavier, was a Kingdom of Navarre, Navarrese cleric and missionary. He co-founded the Society of Jesus ...

Etymology

Xavier comes from the name of the

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

missionary saint

, where ''Xavier'' stands for his birthplace of Javier (''Xabier'' in Basque; ''Xavier'' in

Old Spanish Old Spanish (, , ; ), also known as Old Castilian or Medieval Spanish, refers to the varieties of Ibero-Romance spoken predominantly in Castile and environs during the Middle Ages. The earliest, longest, and most famous literary composition in O ...

) in the Kingdom of Navarre. The

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for ...

is itself the

romanization In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Latin script, Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and tra ...

of the Basque place-name (and surname) '' etxe berri'', meaning 'castle', 'new house' or 'new home'.

Usage in the United States

An increase in usage of the name in the United States has been attributed to the

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

character Charles Xavier, and the feature film version of that character played by Patrick Stewart.

People

Arts

* Xavier Abraham (born 1945), Spanish poet * Xavier Abril (1905–1990), Peruvian poet * Xavier Armange (born 1947), French writer and illustrator * Xavier Arsène-Henry (1919–2009), French modernist architect and urban planner * Xavier Atencio (1919–2017), American animator for The Walt Disney Company * Xavier Barbier de Montault (1830–1901), French liturgical writer * Xavier Blum Pinto (born 1957), Ecuadorian artist * Xavier Boniface Saintine (1798–1865), French dramatist and novelist * Xavier Cortada (born 1964), Cuban-American painter * Xavier Cugat (1900–1990), Spanish-Cuban bandleader * Xavier Davis (born 1971), American jazz pianist * Xavier de Planhol (1926–2016), French historical scholar *

Xavier Dolan Xavier Dolan-Tadros (; born 20 March 1989) is a Canadian filmmaker and actor. He began his career as a child actor in commercials before directing several arthouse feature films. He first received international acclaim in 2009 for his feature ...

(born 1989), Canadian actor and filmmaker * Xavier Fagnon (born 1972), French voice actor * Xavier Forneret (1809–1884), French poet, playwright and writer * Xavier Fourcade (1926–1987), French American art dealer * Xavier Herbert (1901–1984), Australian writer * Xavier Lopez (born 2003), American rapper and record producer * Xavier Trudeau (born 2007), Canadian singer-songwriter, son of former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau * Xavier Martinez (1869–1943), American artist of Mexican descent * Xavier Naidoo (born 1971), German singer-songwriter * Xavier Rudd (born 1978), Australian singer-songwriter * Xavier Samuel (born 1983), Australian actor

Law, military and politics

* Xavier Albertini (born 1971), French politician * Xavier Becerra (born 1958), American politician * Xavier Bertrand (born 1965), French politician * Xavier Bettel (born 1973), Luxembourgish politician * Xavier Bout de Marnhac (born 1951), French military general * Xavier Brasseur (1865–1912), Luxembourgish politician * Xavier Breton (born 1962), French politician * Xavier Connor (1917–2005), Australian judge * Xavier Coppolani (1866–1905), French military leader * Xavier Darcos (born 1947), French politician * Xavier, Duke of Parma and Piacenza (1889–1977), pretender to the defunct throne of Parma, and Carlist claimant to the throne of Spain * Xavier Kyooma, Ugandan politician * Xavier de Magallon (1866–1956), French poet, translator and politician * Xavier Sylvestre Yangongo (1946-2024), Central African military general and politician * Xavier Espot Zamora (born 1979), Andorran politician and current prime minister of Andorra

Sports

* Xavier Adibi (born 1984), American NFL player * Xavier Aguado (born 1968), Spanish association football player * Xabi Alonso (born 1981), Spanish association football player * Xavier Báez (born 1987), Mexican association football player * Xavier Barrau (born 1982), French association football player * Xavier Beitia (born 1982), American AFL and college football player * Xavier Bertoni (born 1988), French freestyle skier * Xavier Booker (born 2004), American basketball player * Xavier Capdevila Romero (born 1976), Andorran ski mountaineer * Xavier Carter (born 1985), American track and field athlete * Xavier Chen (born 1983), Belgian association football player * Xavier Clarke (born 1983), indigenous Australian rules football player * Xavier Coleman (born 1995), American football player * Xavier Comas Guixé (born 1977), Andorran ski mountaineer * Xavier Corosine (born 1985), French basketball player * Xavier Crawford (born 1995), American football player * Xavier Daufresne (born 1968), Belgian tennis player * Xavier Delisle (born 1977), Canadian ice hockey player * Xavier Dirceu (born 1977), Brazilian association football player * Xavier Doherty (born 1982), Australian cricketer * Xavier Dorfman (born 1973), French Olympic rower * Xavier Downwind (1893–1968), American NFL player * Xavier Edwards (born 1999), American baseball player * Xavier Ellis (born 1988), Australian rules football player * Xavier Eluère (1897–1967), French Olympic boxer * Xavier Escudé (born 1966), Spanish Olympic field hockey player * Xavier Florencio (born 1979), Spanish road bicycle racer * Xavier Fulton (born 1986), American NFL player * Xavier Gipson (born 2000), American football player *

Xavier Henry Xavier Henry (; born March 15, 1991) is an American former professional basketball player. He played one year of college basketball with the Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball, Kansas Jayhawks before he was drafted in the 2010 NBA draft by the Mem ...

(born 1991), American NBA player *Xavier Hernández Creus, commonly known as

Xavi (footballer, born 1980) Xavier Hernández Creus (born 25 January 1980), commonly known as Xavi Hernández () or simply Xavi, is a Spanish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who most recently managed La Lig ...

(born 1980), Spanish association football manager and former player * Xavier Hutchinson (born 2000), American football player * Xavier Johnson (basketball) (born 1999), American basketball player * Xavier Johnson (American football) (born 1999), American football player * Xavier Jones (born 1997), American football player * Xavier Kelly (born 1997), American football player * Xavier Maassen (born 1980), Dutch racing driver * Xavier McDaniel (born 1963), American basketball player * Xavier McKinney (born 1999), American football player *

Xavier Malisse Xavier Malisse (born 19 July 1980) is a Belgian tennis coach and a former professional player. Born in the north-western Flemish Region, Flemish city of Kortrijk and nicknamed ''X-Man'', he is one of only two Belgian men (the other being David G ...

(born 1980), Belgian tennis player * Xavier Margairaz (born 1984), Swiss association football player * Xavier Munford (born 1992), American basketball player * Xavier Nady (born 1978), American former baseball player * Xavier Newman-Johnson (born 1999), American football player * Xavier Ouellet (born 1993), French-Canadian ice hockey player * Xavier Proctor (born 1990), American football player * Xavier Restrepo (born 2002), American football player * Xavier Rhodes (born 1990), American football player * Xavier Robinson, American football player * Xavier Rush (born 1977), New Zealand rugby player * Xavier Silas (born 1988), American basketball player * Xavier Quentin Shay Simons or Xavi Simons (born 2003), Dutch association football player * Xavier Sneed (born 1997), American basketball player in the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

* Xavier Thomas (born 1999), American football player * Xavier Tillman (born 1999), American basketball player * Xavier Watts (born 2001), American football player * Xavier Woods (American football) (born 1995), American football player * Xavier Worthy (born 2003), American football player

Other

* Xavier, Duke of Aquitaine (1753–1754) * Xabier Arzalluz (1932–2019), Basque nationalist politician * Xavier Bichat (1771–1802), French anatomist and pathologist * Xavier Briggs (born 1968), American sociologist * Xavier Chamorro Cardenal (1932–2008), Nicaraguan journalist * Xavier Ehrenbert Fridelli (1673–1743), Austrian Jesuit missionary * Xavier Fernique (1934–2020), French mathematician * Xavier Le Pichon (1937–2025), French geophysicist * Xavier Mertz (1882–1913), Swiss explorer * Xavier de Montclos, (1924–2018), French historian of religion * Xavier Roberts (born 1955), American inventor and manufacturer of Cabbage Patch Kids * Xavier Rolet (born 1959), French businessman and chief executive officer of the London Stock Exchange * Francis Xavier Seelos (1819–1867), German Roman Catholic missionary * Xavier Yap Jung Houn (born 1973), Singaporean convicted double killer of his twin sons * Xavier Zubiri (1898–1983), Spanish philosopher

Fictional characters

*Brigadier General Frank Xavier Hummel, antagonist of the film '' The Rock''. * Xavier Austin, a character in the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away'' *Xavier Bird, a character in Joseph Boyden's novel '' Three Day Road'' * Xavier Desmond, a character in the George R. R. Martin book series ''Wild Cards'' *Xavier Dolls, a character in the supernatural Western TV series '' Wynonna Earp'' *Xavier, the main character of the animated series '' Xavier: Renegade Angel'' *Xavier March, protagonist of Robert Harris' novel ''

Fatherland A homeland is a place where a national or ethnic identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethnic nation ...

'' *Xavier Quinn, protagonist of the film '' The Mighty Quinn'' *Xavier Harkonnen, a character in the fictional ''

Dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

'' universe *Xavier Hutchinson, of the reality TV series ''Earth'' which premiered on the

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

in 1986 *Xavier Benedict, a character in Julia Golding's ''Finding Sky'' book trilogy * Xavier Chavez, a character in the film '' Saw II'' *Xavier Riddle, the main character in the PBS Kids animated series '' Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum'' *Xavier Thorpe, a character in the Netflix series '' Wednesday''

References

{{given name Basque masculine given names French masculine given names German masculine given names Swiss masculine given names English masculine given names Masculine given names