Find out how popular the last name Xavier is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Xavier.

Xavier, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Xavier surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Xavier in America

Xavier is the 9638th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Xavier surname appeared 3,367 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Xavier.

We can also compare 2010 data for Xavier to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Xavier

The surname Xavier originates from the Basque region of northern Spain and southern France, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Basque word "etxe-berri," which translates to "new house" or "newly built house."

The name first appeared in historical records around the 13th century, when it was commonly spelled as "Echeverria" or "Echeverri." The earliest known bearer of this surname was Juan de Echeverria, a nobleman from the town of Azpeitia in the Basque Country, mentioned in documents from 1265.

In the 15th century, the variant spelling "Xavier" emerged, likely influenced by the French pronunciation of the name. This version became particularly associated with the prominent Xavier family from the town of Javier in Navarre, Spain.

One of the most notable historical figures bearing this surname was St. Francis Xavier, a Navarrese Catholic missionary and co-founder of the Jesuit order. Born in 1506 as Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta, he adopted the surname Xavier after the family's ancestral home in Javier. St. Francis Xavier played a crucial role in the Catholic missionary efforts in Asia, particularly in India and Japan, during the 16th century.

Another prominent bearer of the Xavier name was Jerónimo Xavier, a Spanish painter and architect who lived from 1549 to 1608. He was renowned for his contributions to the Renaissance architectural style in Spain and worked on notable projects such as the Monastery of El Escorial.

In the 17th century, the Xavier surname gained recognition through Miguel Xavier de Idiáquez, a Spanish diplomat and statesman who served as the Secretary of State for King Philip III of Spain from 1599 to 1624.

During the colonial era, the Xavier surname spread to various parts of the world, including Latin America, where descendants of Spanish settlers carried the name. One notable figure was José María Xavier de Idiáquez, a Spanish colonial administrator who served as the Governor of the Captaincy General of Guatemala from 1801 to 1811.

In the field of literature, the French writer and philosopher François Xavier de Maistre (1763-1852) is remembered for his influential works, such as "Voyage autour de ma chambre" (Voyage Around My Room) and "Les Soirées de Saint-Pétersbourg" (The St. Petersburg Dialogues).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Xavier

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Xavier.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Xavier was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Xavier has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

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

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

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