Xi
A Chinese unisex given name meaning "prosperous journey" or "fortunate".
Name Census estimates that about 90 living Americans carry the first name Xi. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 51.6% of registrations being female. The average person named Xi today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Xi births was 2019 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Xi. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Xi with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Xi. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
90
~ 1 in 3,808,382 Americans
Peak year
2019
16 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,835
Tracked since 2014
Census
Xi in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 3,587 people with the first name Xi, which placed it at #4,953 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#4,953
National first-name rank
People counted
3.6K
3,587 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
95.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Xi
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Xi is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Black (1.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Xi described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Xi at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.1% · 3,411
- White2.4% · 85
- Black or African American1.2% · 42
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 31
- Two or more races0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Gender
Gender distribution for Xi
Xi is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 91 total registrations, 44 (48.4%) were male and 47 (51.6%) were female.
Xi as a male name
- Ranked #10,835 in 2024
- 7 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2019 (10 births)
Xi as a female name
- Ranked #12,058 in 2024
- 8 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (8 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Xi on both sides of the split. Of the 3,581 people counted with this name, 1,438 were male (40.2%) and 2,143 were female (59.8%).
Popularity
Xi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Xi from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 48 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Xi 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 Xi 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 Xi
The given name Xi has its origins in ancient Chinese culture and language, dating back to the earliest known records of Chinese civilization. It is a romanized spelling of the Chinese character 希, which carries the meaning of "hope" or "expectation."
In ancient Chinese philosophy and literature, the character 希 is found in influential texts such as the Analects of Confucius and the Tao Te Ching, signifying the importance of hope and aspiration in the pursuit of virtue and enlightenment. The name Xi was likely bestowed upon individuals with the wish for them to embody these ideals.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Xi was Xi Kang, a prominent Daoist philosopher and writer who lived from 223 to 262 CE during the Three Kingdoms period in China. His works, such as the "Xian Xing Lun" (Discourse on Embracing the Qi), explored the concept of embracing the natural order and cultivating inner peace.
In the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE), a renowned Buddhist monk named Xi Zhi (629-727 CE) gained recognition for his contributions to the translation and dissemination of Buddhist teachings in China. He is celebrated for his influential role in the development of Chinese Buddhism.
During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE), Xi Shengmo (1546-1618) was a prominent scholar and official who made significant contributions to the study of classical Chinese literature and philosophy. His commentaries and annotations on ancient texts are still widely studied and respected today.
In more recent history, Xi Zhongxun (1913-2002) was a prominent Chinese revolutionary and statesman who played a key role in the establishment of the People's Republic of China. He served as a vice premier and was known for his work in promoting economic reforms and modernization.
Another notable figure was Xi Wuzhou (1616-1670), a renowned Chinese landscape painter of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. His works, known for their intricate brushwork and mastery of ink wash techniques, are celebrated as masterpieces of Chinese art.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have carried the name Xi, reflecting its rich cultural heritage and significance in Chinese tradition.
People
Xi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Xi 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
Xi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Xi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 90 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Xi 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 3,808,382 US residents.
Is Xi a common name?
We classify Xi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 63% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 91 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Xi most popular?
The single biggest year for Xi was 2019, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Xi is about 6 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Xi in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 3,587 people with the name Xi, or 1.19 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,953 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Xi in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Xi?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Xi on both sides of the split. Of the 3,581 people counted with this name, 1,438 were male (40.2%) and 2,143 were female (59.8%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Xi?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Xi is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.4%) and Black (1.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Xi most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Xi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (3,411 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Xi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Xi a female name?
Yes, 51.6% of people registered as Xi in the SSA data are female. 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 Xi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Xi 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 Xi 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.
How common is the name Xi?
Find out how many people have the name Xi on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.