Tuesday, April 28, 2015

X is for Xavier

I love the name Xavier.  Partly it's because it starts with an X and so few names do.  In fact, Xanthe for a girl is the only other one I can think of, and I don't like that name much.

I wanted to name one of my sons Xavier (or Quincy), but we ended up choosing Orson instead.

Xavier is widely thought to have come from an ancient Spanish word for 'savior', but in reality it's a Basque name - one of the few native Basque names - and comes from the Basque word meaning 'new house'.

The most famous person with the name Xavier would have to be Saint Francis Xavier, a Jesuit priest who was in fact of Basque origin.

Historically it's been a popular name in France, Spain and Portugal, but in recent times it has grown in popularity in English-speaking countries.  In fact, my son is going to a birthday party tomorrow for a friend of his called Xavier.

Do you know any Xaviers?  Xanthes?


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