Xavier

English

Etymology

Toponymic surname of a 16th-century saint born in the Kingdom of Navarre (now partially placed in Spain), Francis de Xavier, from a place name in the Kingdom of Navarre, originally from Basque Xabier. Doublet of Echeverría.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈzeɪ.vɪə/, /ˈzæ.vɪə/, /ɪɡˈzeɪ.vɪə/
• IPA^(key): /ˈzeɪ.vjɚ/, /ˈzeɪ.vi.əɹ/, /ɪɡˈzeɪ.vjɚ/, /ɪɡˈzeɪ.vi.ɚ/
• Rhymes: -eɪvjə(ɹ)

Proper noun

Xavier

1. A male given name from Spanish.
   • 1976 Don DeLillo, Ratner's Star, Knopf, →ISBN, page 337:

     "Full name please." "Maurice Xavier Wu." "Where did you get the Xavier?" "My father was a missionary," he said.

   • 2007 Sharon Kendrick, The Sheikh's English Bride, Harlequin, →ISBN, page 60:

     'I keep telling you to call me Xavier,' he interjected silkily, aware that her reluctance to do so intrigued him. 'Xavier,' Laura agreed, and then hesitated. How could his name be so...so...enticing? Because it was foreign to her lips―lingering there like the juice of a fruit she had never tasted before? Or because it was impossible to say without first softening your voice?

2. A surname, found chiefly among people of Spanish and Portuguese descent.
   • 2020 October 7, “Network News: Plaque at Chatham honours colour bar pioneer”, in Rail, page 26:

     A plaque commemorating the memory of British Rail guard Asquith Xavier, who broke the colour bar at Euston station in 1966, was unveiled at Chatham station on September 24.

Usage notes

• The given name was rare (among English speakers) until the 1980s, when it began to rise in popularity. The surname is still rare.

Derived terms

• Xavierian
• Xavierite

Translations

male given name

• Aragonese: Chabier
• Basque: Xabier (eu)
• Catalan: Xavier (ca)
• Corsican: Saveriu m
• Czech: Xaver
• Dutch: Xaverius (nl)
• Esperanto: Ksavero
• French: Xavier (fr)
• Galician: Xavier (gl)
• German: Xaver (de)
• Greek: Ξαβέριος (el) (Xavérios), Ξαβέρης (Xavéris)
• Hungarian: Xavér (hu)
• Inuktitut: ᐃᒃᓵᕕᐊᕐ (iksaafiar)
• Italian: Saverio (it) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: エグゼビア (Eguzebia), グザヴィエ (Guzevie), ザビエ (Zabie), シャビエル (Shabieru)
• Latin: Xaverius (la)
• Polish: Ksawery (pl)
• Portuguese: Xavier (pt)
• Romanian: Xaveriu
• Russian: Ксаве́рий (ru) (Ksavérij)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Roman: Ksaverij

• Slovak: Xaver
• Spanish: Javier (es)
• Swedish: Xavier (sv)
• Vietnamese: Xaviê
• Walloon: Zavî (wa)

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Catalan

Etymology

From the toponymic surname of a Spanish saint, from Basque Xabier. See Xavier for more.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [ʃə.βiˈe]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [ʃə.viˈe]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [t͡ʃa.viˈeɾ]

Proper noun

Xavier m

1. a male given name, equivalent to English Xavier

Derived terms

• Xavi

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Cebuano

Etymology

From Spanish Xavier, from Francis Xavier, from Basque Xabier.

Proper noun

Xavier

1. a male given name from Basque

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡza.vje/, /ksa.vje/

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Xavier m

1. a male given name, equivalent to English Xavier

Usage notes

• The compound given name François-Xavier also occurs, in honor of the saint.

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Portuguese

Etymology

From the toponymic surname of a Spanish saint, from Basque Xabier. See Xavier for more.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʃa.viˈɛʁ/ [ʃa.vɪˈɛh], (faster pronunciation) /ʃaˈvjɛʁ/ [ʃaˈvjɛh]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʃa.viˈɛʁ/ [ʃa.vɪˈɛh], (faster pronunciation) /ʃaˈvjɛʁ/ [ʃaˈvjɛh]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ʃa.viˈɛɾ/ [ʃa.vɪˈɛɾ], (faster pronunciation) /ʃaˈvjɛɾ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ʃa.viˈɛʁ/ [ʃa.vɪˈɛχ], (faster pronunciation) /ʃaˈvjɛʁ/ [ʃaˈvjɛχ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʃa.viˈɛɻ/ [ʃa.vɪˈɛɻ], (faster pronunciation) /ʃaˈvjɛɻ/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʃɐˈvjɛɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʃɐˈvjɛɾ/
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʃɐˈbjɛɾ/ [ʃɐˈβjɛɾ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʃɐˈvjɛ.ɾi/

• Hyphenation: Xa‧vi‧er

Proper noun

Xavier m

1. a male given name from Basque

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Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xaˈbjeɾ/ [xaˈβ̞jeɾ]

Proper noun

Xavier m

1. (obsolete outside the US) Alternative spelling of Javier