Find out how popular the first name Javi has been for the last 36 years (from 1988 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Javi by gender

Based on the last 36 years of data, Javi is exclusively a male name.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 77 male babies and 0 female babies born with the name Javi.

The history of the first name Javi

The name Javi is a diminutive form of the Spanish name Javier, which is derived from the Basque name Xabier. The Basque name Xabier originated from the medieval Navarrese municipality of Javier, located in the valley of Navarre in northern Spain. This place name is believed to come from the Basque word "etxaberri," which means "new house."

The name Javi gained popularity in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries due to the influence of Saint Francis Xavier, a 16th-century Jesuit missionary and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. Saint Francis Xavier, whose birth name was Francisco de Jaso y Azpilicueta, was born in 1506 in the Kingdom of Navarre and adopted the name Xavier after the municipality where he was born.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Javi can be found in the 16th-century Spanish novel "Lazarillo de Tormes," where a character named Javier is mentioned. Another notable historical figure with the name Javi was Javier Pérez de Guzmán, a Spanish nobleman and military leader who lived in the 15th century.

Throughout history, several influential figures have borne the name Javi or its variants. One of the most famous is Francisco de Javier, better known as St. Francis Xavier, the Catholic missionary who was born in 1506 and died in 1552. Another notable figure is Javier Solana, a Spanish physicist and politician who served as the Secretary-General of NATO from 1995 to 1999 and the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy from 1999 to 2009.

In the realm of sports, Javier Hernández, a Mexican professional soccer player who plays as a striker for the LA Galaxy, was born in 1988. Javier Sotomayor, a Cuban former track and field athlete who specialized in the high jump and set the world record in 1993, was born in 1967. Javier Clemente, a Spanish former professional football player and manager, was born in 1950.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Javi or its variants, highlighting the rich cultural and historical significance of this name.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Javi was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Javi, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!