Ah, the elusive letter X. It either makes you or breaks you in games of Scrabble, and it always stumps whoever lands in it for the alphabet name game. Most of us can only think of two words that start with it: xylophone and X-ray. But don’t worry – none of the x-cellent names on this list start with or have anything to do with medical equipment or musical instruments.
Xander is a male name that’s short for Alexander – so maybe we’re cheating by including it, but it’s a great name, so why not? Since Xander isn’t a “proper name,” it doesn’t exactly have a proper meaning, but Alexander means “defending men.” Some people have recently started to opt for the Zander instead, but if you really want a name started with X, this is of course out of the question. Moving on.
The only other major male name that starts with an X is Xavier, which has Arabic and Basque origins and means “bright” and “splendid.” Saint Francis Xavier founded the Jesuit order of the Catholic church, and the name is most popular in Spain now. It’s sometimes anglicized as Javier, but again, that’s out of the question for X purists.
What about female names? Xenia comes from the Greek meaning “hospitable” and “welcoming” and has related names in many languages from various countries. However, it’s mostly found in Greece, Russia, and Ukraine.
Another Greek name, Xylia, means “wood-dweller,” making it the perfect choice for earthy, nature-loving types. You could also consider Xyla, a variant that’s used for females.
Xabat
Meaning: Savior
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Boy
Xabier
Meaning: Owns a new house
Origin: Basque
Gender: Boy
Xalbador
Meaning: Savior
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Boy
Xalbadora
Meaning: Savior
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Girl
Xalvador
Meaning: Savior
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Boy
Xalvadora
Meaning: Savior
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Girl
Xandra
Meaning: Defender of mankind
Origin: Greek
Gender: Girl
Xantha
Meaning: Blond
Origin: Greek
Gender: Girl
Xanthe
Meaning: Blond
Origin: Greek
Gender: Girl
Xanthia
Meaning: Blond
Origin: Greek
Gender: Girl
Xanthus
Meaning: A river god
Origin: Greek
Gender: Boy
Xanti
Meaning: Named for Saint James
Origin: Basque
Gender: Boy
Xarles
Meaning: Manly
Origin: French
Gender: Boy
Xavier
Meaning: Bright, splendid
Origin: Arabic
Gender: Boy
Xaviera
Meaning: Bright, splendid
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Girl
Xavierra
Meaning: Owner of a new home
Origin: French
Gender: Girl
Xavierre
Meaning: Owner of a new home
Origin: French
Gender: Girl
Xena
Meaning: Welcoming, hospitable
Origin: Greek
Gender: Girl
Xenia
Meaning: Welcoming, hospitable
Origin: Greek
Gender: Girl
Xeno
Meaning: Strange voice
Origin: Greek
Gender: Boy
Xenon
Meaning: Receiver of life from Zeus
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Boy
Xenophanes
Meaning: Looking foreign or strange
Origin: Greek
Gender: Boy
Xenophon
Meaning: Strange voice
Origin: Greek
Gender: Boy
Xenos
Meaning: Stranger
Origin: Greek
Gender: Boy
Xenres
Meaning: Prince
Origin: Persian
Gender: Boy
Xerxes
Meaning: Leaving
Origin: Greek
Gender: Boy
Xever
Meaning: Owns a new house
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Boy
Xevera
Meaning: Owns a new house
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Girl
Xeveria
Meaning: Owns a new house
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Girl
Xhosa
Meaning: Sweet
Origin: African
Gender: Girl
Xia
Meaning: Welcoming, hospitable
Origin: Greek
Gender: Girl
Xiang
Meaning: Either ‘to soar’ or ‘auspicious’ or ‘fragrant’
Origin: Chinese
Gender: Boy/Girl
Xiao-Niao
Meaning: Small bird
Origin: Chinese
Gender: Girl
Xiao-Xing
Meaning: Morning star
Origin: Chinese
Gender: Girl
Ximen
Meaning: God has heard
Origin: Hebrew
Gender: Boy
Ximon
Meaning: God is heard
Origin: Basque
Gender: Boy
Ximun
Meaning: God is heard
Origin: Basque
Gender: Boy
Xiomar
Meaning: Famous in battle
Origin: German
Gender: Boy
Xiomara
Meaning: Possibly a Spanish form of Guiomar
Origin: Spanish
Gender: Girl
Xochitl
Meaning: Blossom-like
Origin: Native American
Gender: Girl
Xue
Meaning: Snow or studious
Origin: Chinese
Gender: Boy/Girl
Xun
Meaning: Fast
Origin: Chinese
Gender: Boy
Xuthus
Meaning: Son of Helen
Origin: Greek
Gender: Boy
Xuxa
Meaning: Lily
Origin: Latin
Gender: Girl
Xylia
Meaning: From the woods
Origin: Greek
Gender: Girl
Xyliana
Meaning: From the woods
Origin: Greek
Gender: Girl
Xylina
Meaning: From the woods
Origin: Greek
Gender: Girl
Xylinia
Meaning: From the woods
Origin: Greek
Gender: Girl
Xylon
Meaning: From the woods
Origin: Greek
Gender: Girl
Xylona
Meaning: From the woods
Origin: Greek
Gender: Girl
