XANDER m Dutch, English (Modern)Short form of
ALEXANDER. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by a character on the television series
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003).
XANTHIPPE f Ancient GreekFeminine form of
XANTHIPPOS. This was the name of the wife of
Socrates. Because of her supposedly argumentative nature, the name has been adopted (in the modern era) as a word for a scolding, ill-tempered woman.
XAVIER m English, French, Portuguese, Catalan, Spanish (Archaic)Derived from the Basque place name
Etxeberria meaning
"the new house". This was the surname of the Jesuit priest Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552) who was born in a village by this name. He was a missionary to India, Japan, China, and other areas in East Asia, and he is the patron saint of the Orient and missionaries. His surname has since been adopted as a given name in his honour, chiefly among Catholics.
XENA f Popular CultureProbably a variant of
XENIA. This was the name of the main character in the 1990s television series
Xena: Warrior Princess.
XENE f Late GreekVariant of
XENIA. This was occasionally adopted as a monastic name during the Byzantine era.
XENIA f Greek, Ancient GreekMeans
"hospitality" in Greek, a derivative of
ξένος (xenos) meaning "foreigner, guest". This was the name of a 5th-century saint who is venerated in the Eastern Church.
XERXES m HistoryGreek form of the Persian name
Khshayarsha, which meant
"ruler over heroes". This was a 5th-century BC king of Persia, the son of Darius the Great. He attempted an invasion of Greece, which ended unsuccessfully at the battle of Salamis.
XIA m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
夏 (xià) meaning "summer, great, grand",
霞 (xiá) meaning "rosy clouds", or other characters that are pronounced similarly.
XIANG m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
翔 (xiáng) meaning "soar, glide",
祥 (xiáng) meaning "good luck, good omen",
香 (xiāng) meaning "fragrant" (which is usually only feminine) or
湘 (xiāng), which refers to the Xiang River in southern China. This name can also be formed from other characters.
XIMENO m Medieval SpanishMedieval Spanish or Basque name of uncertain meaning. It is possibly a form of
SIMON (1), though it may in fact derive from Basque
seme meaning "son".
XINYI m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
欣 (xīn) meaning "happy, joyous, delighted" or
心 (xīn) meaning "heart, mind, soul" combined with
怡 (yí) meaning "joy, harmony". This name can also be formed from other character combinations.
XIU f ChineseFrom Chinese
秀 (xiù) meaning "luxuriant, beautiful, elegant, outstanding" or other characters that are pronounced similarly.
XIULAN f ChineseFrom Chinese
秀 (xiù) meaning "luxuriant, beautiful, elegant, outstanding" combined with
兰 (lán) meaning "orchid, elegant". This name can be formed of other character combinations as well.
XIUYING f ChineseFrom Chinese
秀 (xiù) meaning "luxuriant, beautiful, elegant, outstanding" combined with
英 (yīng) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero". Other character combinations are possible.
XUE f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
雪 (xuě) meaning "snow" or
学 (xué) meaning "study, learning, school", besides other characters pronounced similarly.
XUN m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
勋 (xūn) meaning "meritorious deed, rank" or
迅 (xùn) meaning "snow", as well as other characters with a similar pronunciation.