Xavyer
A masculine given name of Basque origin meaning "the bright one".
Name Census estimates that about 183 living Americans carry the first name Xavyer. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Xavyer today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Xavyer births was 2009 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Xavyer. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
183
~ 1 in 1,872,975 Americans
Peak year
2009
18 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2023 SSA rank
#12,171
Tracked since 1999
Popularity
Xavyer: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Xavyer from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 79 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Xavyer remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Xavyer by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Xavyer during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Xavyer
The given name Xavyer has its origins in the Basque region of Spain and France, with the earliest known use dating back to the late 15th century. The name is derived from the Basque word "etxe-berri," which translates to "new house" or "new home." This linguistic connection suggests that the name may have been initially used to designate someone who had recently established a new household or relocated to a different dwelling.
The name Xavyer gained widespread recognition and popularity due to its association with Saint Francis Xavier, a prominent Catholic missionary and co-founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). Born in 1506 in the Kingdom of Navarre, Saint Francis Xavier played a pivotal role in spreading Christianity throughout Asia, particularly in India, Malaysia, and Japan. His missionary work and dedication to evangelization earned him the title of patron saint of Catholic missions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Xavyer can be found in the Spanish manuscript "Codex Calixtinus" from the 12th century, which mentions a pilgrim named Xavyer who travelled to the shrine of Saint James the Great in Santiago de Compostela. This historical reference suggests that the name was in use, albeit relatively rare, during the medieval period in the Basque region.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Xavyer, including:
1. Xavyer de Maistre (1763-1852), a French lawyer, diplomat, and philosopher known for his works on political theory and counter-revolutionary thought.
2. Xavyer Cugat (1900-1990), a Spanish-American bandleader and musician who popularized Latin music in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s.
3. Xavyer Villaurrutia (1903-1950), a Mexican poet, playwright, and diplomat who was a prominent figure in the Mexican literary renaissance of the 20th century.
4. Xavyer Zubiri (1898-1983), a Spanish philosopher and theologian who made significant contributions to the field of metaphysics and the philosophy of religion.
5. Xavyer Montsalvatge (1912-2002), a Spanish composer and music critic known for his contributions to the avant-garde and neoclassical movements in music.
While the name Xavyer has its roots in the Basque region, it has since gained popularity and recognition across various cultures and languages, particularly in the Catholic and Hispanic communities, where it is often associated with the legacy of Saint Francis Xavier and the missionary work of the Jesuits.
People
Xavyer + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Xavyer as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with X
Other first names starting with X with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Xavyer: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Xavyer?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 183 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Xavyer going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,872,975 US residents.
Is Xavyer a common name?
We classify Xavyer as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 185 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Xavyer most popular?
The single biggest year for Xavyer was 2009, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Xavyer is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Xavyer in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Xavyer a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Xavyer in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Xavyer still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Xavyer in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Xavyer can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Xavyer as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Xavyer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.