Javier is the Spanish form of Xavier, which comes from the Basque place name Etxeberria and means "new house". Saint Francis Xavier, the 16th-century Jesuit missionary to India and Japan, was born in the castle of Javier in Navarre and made it a given name across the Catholic world; actor Javier Bardem is its best-known bearer today. Javier has been a steady presence in the United States, moving from number 155 in 2000 to number 274 among boys' names in 2025.