Xavi is the Catalan short form of Xavier, a name that goes back to the Basque place name Etxeberria and means "new house"; it honors St. Francis Xavier, the 16th-century missionary. Soccer legend Xavi Hernández, midfield star of FC Barcelona and Spain, carried the nickname around the world. In the US Xavi entered the top 1000 in 2010 and peaked at number 809 in 2011; after a dip it has climbed again to number 1545 in 2025.