Boy Names That Start With X: 73 Rare X Names With Origins and Meanings

Boy names that start with X are rare but varied, from Xavier, Xander and Xerxes to Xenophon, Xosé, Xing and Xolani, and this list of 73 gives a checked origin and meaning for every one.

X is the boldest first letter you can give a son. These boy names that start with X include Xavier and its European cousins, Greek names built on words for guest and gold, Galician forms of John and Joseph, Chinese names built from words like dawn, star and snow, and word names meaning peace, dream and spring. No X name made the U.S. boys’ top 10 for 2025, according to the Social Security Administration, so any of them will stand out.

We only included names with their own Behind the Name entry, grouped by origin because the letter is said so differently in each language. Then come a pronunciation guide, gender neutral options, 22 popular names with an X inside, and quick tips for pairing and testing your favorite.

Boy Names That Start With X at a Glance

Every origin and meaning here was checked against the name’s own entry on Behind the Name in November 2026. Where the reference calls a meaning uncertain, we say so.

Boy names that start with X are rare in the United States, so most parents know only Xavier and Xander. The real list is longer and far more interesting. X begins boys’ names in Greek, Galician, Basque, Catalan, Nahuatl, Zapotec, Maya, Chinese, Zulu, Hmong, Azerbaijani, Somali, Albanian and Vietnamese, and it is said a different way in almost every one. Below are 73 verified boy names that start with X, plus 22 popular boy names with an X inside. That is every X name we could verify that a parent might realistically use, without invented spellings or made-up meanings.

None of these is in the Social Security Administration (SSA) top 10 for boys born in 2025, which runs Liam, Noah, Oliver, Theodore, Henry, James, Elijah, Mateo, William and Lucas. The SSA ranks every spelling separately, so Xavier, Xzavier and Xavior are counted as three different names. To see how often a particular X name has been given, use the Popularity of a Name search on the SSA baby names site. The SSA leaves out names given fewer than 5 times in a year, so some names on this page will not show up there at all.

Xavier has the richest story on the list. Behind the Name traces it to the Basque place name Etxeberria, “the new house”. It was the surname of Saint Francis Xavier, a 16th-century Jesuit missionary to India, Japan and China who was born in a village of that name, and it was later adopted as a given name in his honor, chiefly among Catholics. That is why it has so many European forms: Xaver in German, Xabier in Basque and Galician, and the friendly diminutives Xavi (Catalan) and Xabi (Basque). Xzavier and Xavior are English variants.

Xander is the other headliner. It is a short form of Alexander, “defending men”, and Behind the Name says it was popularized in the English-speaking world by a character on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997 to 2003). Xande and Xandinho are Portuguese diminutives of Alexandre. If you love the sound but want a full formal name, Alexander with Xander as the everyday name gives you both. For more ideas across every letter, see our main list of baby boy names.

Greek and Persian X Names: Xerxes, Xenophon and Xanthos

Greek supplies most of the X words in English, and it gives this list a family of classic names for boys. Most are built from two words: xenos, “foreigner, guest” or “foreign, strange”, and xanthos, “yellow”. Greek X is a ks sound, though English speakers usually start these names with a z.

Xenophon pairs xenos with phone, “voice”, and was the name of a 4th-century BC military commander and historian. The other xenos names follow the same pattern: Xenocrates adds kratos, “power” (a 4th-century BC philosopher), Xenocles adds kleos, “glory” (a 5th-century BC tragedian), and Xenagoras adds agora, “assembly, marketplace”. Xenon is the simplest of them. Xenofon, Xenokrates and Xenokles are the Greek spellings of these names.

Xanthos simply means “yellow” and belongs to several minor figures in Greek mythology; Xanthus is its Latinized form, and Xanthippos (“yellow” plus “horse”) was a 5th-century BC Athenian general. Xystos is the Greek form of Sixtus, a name borne by five popes.

Xerxes is not Greek at all, though it reached English through Greek. It is the Greek form of the Old Persian name Xšayarša, which meant “ruler over heroes”. The best-known bearer was a 5th-century BC king of Persia, the son of Darius the Great, whose invasion of Greece ended at the battle of Salamis. It is a bold, history-heavy choice, so read up on it before you commit. For more classic options, see our Greek boy names list.

Galician, Basque and Catalan X Names

In Galician, Basque and Catalan, an initial x is said as sh, as the pronunciations on these entries show. That gives these languages their own forms of names you already know, each starting with X. If you love a classic like John, Joseph or George but want a distinctive spelling with real history, this is the most useful table on the page.

Xan and Xoán are both the Galician John, and Xuan is the Asturian form. James appears twice in Galician, as Xacobe and Xaime, and once in Basque as Xanti, the local form of Santiago, “Saint James”. Xosé is the Galician Joseph, Xoel the Galician Joel, Xulio the Galician Julius, and Xurxo the Galician George. Xián comes from Xulián, the Galician Julian, and Xiao is a Galician variant of Xián. It looks like the Chinese syllable Xiao but is a separate name with a separate origin.

Ximeno is the oldest name in this group. Behind the Name calls it a medieval Spanish or Basque name of uncertain meaning, possibly a form of Simon or possibly from Basque seme, “son”, so we print it that way. Ximun is its Basque form, and its feminine form is Ximena, a favorite on our girl names that start with X list. Ximo is a Valencian diminutive of Joaquim. In the United States, many people will read these names with a z or ks sound, so decide which pronunciation you want before you announce the name.

Chinese X Names (and Why the Meaning Depends on the Characters)

In Mandarin pinyin, X stands for a soft sound close to sh, so many Chinese given names begin with X. A written Chinese name is made of characters, and several characters can share one spelling in the Latin alphabet. Behind the Name lists a few common characters for each name below, and the meaning of a real person’s name depends on the characters the family chose. Treat each meaning as one common reading, not the only one.

Every Chinese X name here is listed by Behind the Name for both boys and girls. Xing can mean “star, planet”, Xiang can mean “soar, glide”, Xun can mean “meritorious deed” or “fast”, and Xin can mean “fresh, new” or “wealthy, prosperous”. Xinyan and Xinyi build on the Xin meaning “happy, joyous”.

The Xiao names are easy to read once you know the first syllable: Xiao is usually “dawn, morning” or “small”, and the second syllable carries the rest. Xiaoming joins “dawn” and “bright, light, clear”, Xiaofeng joins “dawn” and “peak, summit”, and Xiaodong joins “dawn” and “east”. For many more, see our Chinese boy names list.

International X Names: Zulu, Hmong, Vietnamese, Azerbaijani, Somali and Albanian

Outside Europe and China, X stands for several different sounds. In Azerbaijani, Tatar and Bashkir it is a throaty kh, in Vietnamese it is an s, and the Albanian names begin with the letter pair Xh. Several names here are local forms of Arabic names that English usually writes with H or J.

Three of these are short word names with lovely meanings. Xolani means “peace” in Zulu, Xəyal means “dream, fantasy, imagination” in Azerbaijani, and Xuân means “spring (season)” in Vietnamese and is listed for boys and girls; see our Vietnamese names guide for more. Xwm is a Hmong name meaning “second son”, a thoughtful choice for a second boy if your family has Hmong roots.

The rest are local forms of familiar names. Xasan (Somali) and Xäsän (Tatar and Bashkir) are forms of Hasan, “handsome”, and Xämzä is Hamza, “lion”. The Albanian Xhafer, Xhelal, Xhemal and Xhemil are Jafar (“stream”), Jalal (“greatness”), Jamal (“beauty”) and Jamil (“beautiful”). Xurshid is the Uzbek form of Khorshid, “shining sun”. If you like these, our Arabic boy names list has many more. Print the special letters exactly as spelled (Xəyal, Xäsän, Xämzä, Xuân, Xoán, Xosé). U.S. paperwork does not always carry accents or special characters, so check that you are comfortable with how the name may appear on forms.

Mythology X Names From Mesoamerica

Three X names come from the Indigenous languages and stories of Mexico and Central America. Each has deep cultural meaning, so if it comes from a culture outside your own family, take time to learn how it is said and used before you commit.

Xquenda, from a Zapotec word for “spirit, soul, essence”, is listed for boys and girls and works well as an everyday name. Xochipilli means “flower prince” in Nahuatl and was the Aztec god of love, flowers, song and games. Xbalanque is one of the hero twins of the Popol Vuh, the sacred book of the K’iche’ Maya; Behind the Name says the name possibly comes from Maya words for “jaguar” and “sun” or “deer”, and flags the etymology as uncertain.

How to Say Boy Names That Start With X

Here is the detail most X lists skip. Across the names on this page, X makes at least six sounds: z in English, ks in Greek and German, sh in Galician, Basque and Catalan, a soft sh-like sound in Mandarin, s in Vietnamese, and a throaty kh in Azerbaijani, Tatar and Bashkir. The table uses the pronunciation printed on each name’s Behind the Name entry (mostly in the International Phonetic Alphabet), with a plain English hint.

Two practical tips. First, Xavier has two common American pronunciations, ZAY-vyer and ig-ZAY-vyer, so pick one and tell family early. Second, expect to spell and pronounce any X name for new teachers and coaches, and have a short, friendly way to explain it ready.

Gender Neutral X Names

Behind the Name lists a good number of X names for both boys and girls. All of them already appear in the tables above:

• Chinese: Xia, Xiang, Xin, Xing, Xiu, Xue, Xun, Xinyan, Xinyi and every Xiao name in the table.
• Zapotec: Xquenda, “spirit, soul, essence”.
• Vietnamese: Xuân, “spring (season)”.
• With an X inside: Alex, Alexis, Phoenix and Lennox (see the last table).

If you want a short, bright name that works on any child, Xing (“star, planet” is one reading) and Xuân (“spring”) are lovely choices. See our gender neutral names guide for more.

Names With X Inside (Not Starting With X)

These names do not start with X, but many parents who search for X names really want the crisp ks sound somewhere in the name. Each one below is a verified masculine or unisex entry, and we have kept them separate from the X list above so the count stays honest.

The Alexander family is the obvious starting point: Alexander, Alex and Alexis all trace back to the Greek word for defending and helping, and Xander gives you the same root with an X up front. Max, Maxwell, Maximilian and Maximus share a sound, though Behind the Name gives Maxwell a separate origin (“Mack’s stream”) from the Latin “greatest” names. Felix (“lucky, successful”) and Rex (“king”) are short Latin picks.

Many of the others end in a strong X sound: Knox (“round hill”), Jax and Jaxon (from Jackson), Dax, Maddox, Hendrix, Phoenix and Lennox. Dexter and Baxter are occupational surnames, and Axel is a medieval Danish form of Absalom, “father is peace”. If you like short, punchy names like these, see our short boy names list.

Sibling, Middle Name and Quick Tests

An X name makes a bold first name and an unexpected middle name. A few pairing ideas, all from names on this page:

• Xavier and Xander (the two best-known X names for boys)
• Xan and Xosé (Galician John and Joseph)
• Xenophon and Xanthos (two Greek classics)
• Xing and Xuân (star and spring, as one reading)
• Xolani and Felix (peace and luck)
• Alexander and Maximilian (both with an X inside)

For middle names, a short X name like Xan, Xin or Xun balances a long first name, and a longer X name like Xavier or Xenophon pairs well with a one-syllable first name. Say each combination with your surname to hear the rhythm.

Before you decide, run four quick tests. Write out the initials and make sure they do not spell anything you would rather avoid. Say the full name across a room in the sound you have chosen. Spell it out loud as you would for a receptionist, since X names will often need spelling. And read the name’s own entry so you can explain its meaning with confidence. If you are also weighing other uncommon letters, see our lists of boy names that start with Q and boy names that start with Z.

Related Betteroo Guides

• Boy Names That Start With Z
• Boy Names That Start With Q
• Girl Names That Start With X
• Unique Boy Names
• Greek Boy Names
• Chinese Boy Names

The Bottom Line

X is one of the rarest first letters for boys’ names in the United States, but it is not a short list. It holds Xavier and its many European forms, Xander, Greek classics like Xenophon and Xanthos, Galician forms of John, Joseph and George, dozens of Chinese names, and word names like Xolani (“peace”) and Xəyal (“dream”). Pick the sound you want, check the meaning, and say it out loud for a week.

If an X name still makes you smile after that, it is a good name, and one your son is unlikely to share with many classmates.

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