The name Xavier has its origins in the Basque region of Spain and France. It is derived from the medieval Basque name "Etxeberria" meaning "the new house" or "the new home". The name is believed to have evolved into the Spanish name "Javier" and later romanized into the French spelling "Xavier".

In the 16th century, the name gained widespread recognition and popularity due to the Navarrese Catholic missionary Saint Francis Xavier. He was one of the founders of the Society of Jesus and played a pivotal role in the Catholic missions of the Portuguese Empire, spreading Christianity in India, Japan, and other parts of Asia.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Xavier de Maistre, a French writer and soldier born in 1763. He gained fame for his works like "Voyage autour de ma chambre" (A Journey Around My Room) and "Expédition nocturne autour de ma chambre" (A Nocturnal Expedition Around My Room).

Another notable figure was Xavier Villaurrutia, a Mexican poet and scholar born in 1903. He was a leading figure in the Mexican contemporary literature movement and co-founded the influential literary journal "Contemporáneos".

Xavier Cugat, a Spanish-Cuban bandleader and musician born in 1900, was renowned for popularizing Latin music in the United States. His distinctive style of blending Latin rhythms with American jazz and swing music made him a household name.

Xavier Zubiri, a Spanish philosopher and theologian born in 1898, made significant contributions to the fields of metaphysics and phenomenology. His work, "Sobre la esencia" (On Essence), is considered a seminal text in contemporary Spanish philosophy.

Xavier Musketeers, the athletic teams of Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, have also helped popularize the name in the United States. The university was founded in 1831 and named after the Jesuit missionary Saint Francis Xavier.