Last time I linked to the first post rather than re-writing the rules, but I don’t think we want to click through to the first post every time. So let’s make copy-and-paste our enduring friend, and here is the game we are playing:
We are going to pretend that we are naming a baby and that the name MUST start with a certain letter, and so we will need one name starting with that letter for a boy and one name starting with that letter for a girl, or else one name that would work for either, EVEN IF we don’t like any of the names that start with that letter enough to Actually In Real Life choose them. It is just a game where we place artificial restrictions on reality in order to create the kind of tension that makes games fun—like when you have to choose what foods you’d eat if you could only eat three foods for the rest of your life: the fun is in thinking it over AS IF it were a real forced decision, while KNOWING it is not. There is a baby! It MUST be given a name with a particular letter! That is the game.
After that basic concept, we can decide our own sub-rules, based on what makes the game fun and not stressful. Some examples:
• I’m not planning to play that the name has to fit with the names of my other children or with the surname, though this would be an option for anyone who would LIKE to play it that way; I think I will have more fun if I pretend it is a stand-alone baby and that the surname is not an issue, though I may change my mind as we go. (And if I narrow it down to a few options and can’t decide, I might use siblings/surname as a tie-breaker.)
• It is also fine to narrow it down to a few finalists without getting to The One Name.
• It is fine to wave aside issues such as a friend who already used that name, a famous person with the name, etc., if that makes it more fun and less stressful to choose. This is just pretend, so you can pretend that those things aren’t issues if you want to. (Or you can let the issues stand as they are in real life, if THAT is more fun.)
• We can also all make our own decisions about whether the names have to be ones we think we’d ACTUALLY USE in that hypothetical scenario, or just our FAVORITE names starting with that letter, regardless of whether we think the names are practical; I am not sure which way I will play it, and I likely won’t be consistent.
• If you already have a child with a name starting with the letter we’re working on, you get to pick again from all the names that remain; you don’t have to choose your child’s name as your favorite just because it WAS your favorite: this is a FRESH baby. (If you would normally prefer not to repeat an initial within a sibling group, you can just pretend that’s NOT a preference for the sake of the game.)
• You can do as much or as little explanation as you like in your comment: you can just list the names you chose, or you can explain your process/preferences/reasoning/runners-up, or whatever is most fun.
Today’s letter is X, which is once again a bit of a challenge for U.S. baby-naming, and in fact the list of names to choose from was even shorter than the Y names, but we carry on! (I am really looking forward to W! …But perhaps that is not kind to say when it is X’s turn. We ought to give X its full loving share of attention, and not let other letters steal its moment in the spotlight.)
For a boy, I would choose Xavier. For a girl, I initially chose Xanthe, but then discovered it was pronounced more like ZAN-thuh and not ZAN-thie as I’d imagined (I was thinking it was the -e of Phoebe and Zoe). So then I reconsidered Xanthia, Xena, Xenia, Xia, and Xiomara, and narrowed it down to Xenia and Xia, and after letting it simmer a bit, I decided Xenia was the one I could most imagine using.
Now you! If you want to! Only if it’s fun and not stressful! Feel free to adjust the game-play to be fun and not stressful!
I too like Xavier. I think it’s really cute, and one of the few boys’ names IN GENERAL that I could see using.
I’m tempted to say Xola for a girl (pronounced Zola) but I also like Xiomara.
Ooh. I thought Y was hard. I realize that most of my X-name association is TV shows. Xiomara and Xanthippe. I definitely love Xavier, always have, so I’ll pick that for a boy. For a girl, Xandra.
I don’t think I’d ever choose an X name so this is an especially fun pretend letter for me. After thinkig it over, I landed on:
Girl | Xaida (pronounced zay-duh?)
Boy | Xyler (pronounced zy-ler?)
A little biased as I have a beautiful little boy named Xavier already but if I were to have a second boy and use the letter x again I would probably go for Xander. For a girl maybe Xena. Ahhh that is a hard one!
Xavier is an easy choice for me. I have always liked that name.
Using a girls name that begins with X is much more difficult. I considered Xyla, Xeni, and Xandra before settling on Xyla.
Boy is easy: Xander. We considered Alexander nn Xander when naming but decided in something else.
Girl: Xena. Our own warrior princess. What’s not to like?
I was poised to proclaim how much easier X was than Y. Xavier was an obvious and easy choice, since i”ve loced the name since the cabbage patch days!! And after a few moment of deliberation I settled upon Xanthe (zan-thee) for a girl.
I was delighted to see that Swistle picked the same name, until i got to the “BUT” part of the statement about Xanthe. My surprise at her discovered pronunciation has shaken me! “zan-thuh”!?!! OMG!
Ximena and Xavier. I really do like both of those names — these aren’t desperation picks! In real life, however, they would probably be off the list for, respectively, being almost entirely associated with a culture that’s not my own and having multiple pronunciations.
Xavier for a boy because of X-men
Xeona for a girl
This one is harder for me but still so fun. I have a cousin named Xavier so that’s out for me, even if I do like the name. So for a boy I would use Xander and for a girl Xioana or Xiomy.
XENA, WARRIOR PRINCESS, ALL DAY EVERY DAY
Xavier but I feel very strongly that it should be pronounced the Basque way which is a super phlegmy H like Javier with some extra back of the throat. The only basque saint! I love this name so much! Xavy!
Girls I feel less strongly about, but Xia.
I would name an actual baby Xavier but probably Xia only under duress.
Xavier and Xiomara!
Xander for a boy, and Xanthe for a girl! (I know a Real Live Xanthe! She is adorable and her name is adorable and I love it.) (Meeting her was my first experience with the name in any form, so I did not have the element of surprise/disappointment with the pronunciation.)
Xavier and Xylia.
Xanthus for a boy, that was our nickname for our 4th when he was in utero and I still get a little warm feeling when I hear it…no X name preference for a girl at all!
I think Xavi and Xia.
Xavion and Xanthe I think. Is Xuxu too obnoxious?
I might “cheat” and spell a z-name with an x.
Xinnia for a girl
Xavier for a boy
While searching, I came across Xanthi, which would fix the pronunciation issue if you would consider an even rarer name.
In searching, I came across: “XANTHIPPE f Ancient Greek
Feminine 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.”
Are you telling me that the wife of SOCRATES is being smeared as argumentative? SOCRATES. Do you think maybe he TROLLED HER INCESSANTLY and provoked the ill-temper?
This comment re: Socrates has given me LIFE this evening!!!
I really love Xavier though like others I find I prefer the pronunciation more like Javier.
Ximena is lovely. I have an X in my name and I think it’s delightful even at the end. This makes me want an X somewhere in my next baby’s name!
Glad you enjoyed the Socrates commentary. I was kinda amused but also indignant for her!
I do like quite a few with-an-x names: Beatrix, Baxter, Felix, Knox, Lennox, Maxime. I would include Roxanne (it’s lovely!) but its association with the song is still too strong for me.
Best thing I’ve read today!
Xavier and Xiomara. Even though there is absolutely no Spanish in my family background so it would feel weird to name a daughter Xiomara. But I think it’s so pretty sounding.
Girl: Xymeria
Boy: Xavier
Xavier for a boy, Xanthe for a girl. I also love Xiomara, but feel it is too far from our cultural backgrounds to use.
Girl: Xiomara
Boy: Xavier
But, to the poster above who picked Xandra you need to know I am now ruminating on this name as an honor name for my MIL. It may end up on our list!
I agree with Swistle — Xavier for a boy, Xenia for a girl. I don’t think I would actually use them in real life, though…maybe Xavier as a middle name, because X is a pretty cool middle initial!
I have a friend with a Xanthe pronounced how you’d like it, but I’ll go with Xanthi to be sure to have the right pronunciation.
And Xacobe for a boy, if it’s pronounced how I imagine it is. (Za-co-b or za-co-bee)
I went to elementary school with a Xoria. Appropriately, she was tall, blonde, and queenly, and was cast as the White Witch in our play of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Xavier + Xanthippe!
Just like Swistle:
Girl: Xenia
Boy: Xavier
Also picking Xavier and Xenia!
Xanthippe for a girl (never heard the Socrates connection before; I only knew it was related to “horse”)
For a boy… *quick consult of Behind The Name user-submitted names* I’ll go with Xalvador, which is a Basque version of Salvadore it seems.
For a boy I would also pick Xavier. I considered Xanthe for a girl, but then decided on Xena. Xavier is a name I would consider IRL and so is Xanthe. Xena is probably a little too cool for a kid of mine to pull off IRL.
I will contribute another (unenthusiastic, in my case) Xavier to the list. For a girl, I LOVE Xiomara but would not use it in real life. I also am a fan of Xanthe and would be more likely to actually use it that I would Xiomara. I know a little Xanthe (pn. xan-thee) and was surprised by how wearable the name seemed.
This is cheating but real life I would do Exene for a girl and Xander for a boy. I also like Xanthe and Xiomara.
This one is very tough. I’ll say Xai, boy or girl.
Xesca and Xavier (Xevi for short)
I LOVE Xanthippe and have since childhood, so i would definitely use that for a girl. For a boy, I’d like to say Xerxes or Xenophon but really I can’t even imagine using those on an actual baby, so I’d probably go with Xavier (which I don’t love… but at least I can say it out loud without laughing, which is more than I can say about those other two names)
I should clarify- not because they’re funny names (they’re both awesome names) but because they are so unlike my actual naming style in real life!
After we did Z names a few days ago I immediately realized that I had forgotten all about the name Zosia and that I actually much prefer it to the Z name I did pick (Zora). But then I thought “Ah, but I can use Xosia as an X name,” because I could have sworn I’d seen it spelled that way somewhere before. An internet search leads me to believe that maybe I was mistaken, though, and it seems that if Xosia is in fact a spelling of Zosia it must be really uncommon. Regardless, if the X can make a Z sound in so many other names, I’m going to force it here and go with Xosia.
For a boy I would pick Xavier, which I had on my real life boy name list for two of my three pregnancies (my husband isn’t a big fan and we ended up with girls both of those pregnancies anyway, but I still maintain it would work well in our sibling set).
Xavier for a boy, and though it’s not a name I ever considered before, I find I really would put it on a boy list.
My first thought for a girl was Xanthia, but I think because it’s the only one I knew off the top of my head … and I would probably stress the pronunciation on the second syllable (Xan-THEE-a) and give her the nickname Thia.
I think I’d use Xander for a boy, and I like Xanthe for a girl but just saw rlbelle’s suggestion of Xanthia! I love this much more! So I’ll go with Xanthia.
BTW, I know a Xanthe who is British and she does pronounce her name as “Zan-thee,” not “Zan-thuh”.
My daughter had a friend named Xio in her class and she was just as lovely as her name
I’ve always loved the name Xander
Girl: Xiomara
Boy: Xandros
Girl – Xolani (Zulu name – means peace/forgiveness and would be a nod to my African heritage). I couldn’t think of any X girl names I really liked ’til I did an internet search – Xolani I could actually very happily use if I HAD to have an X initial.
Boy – Xavier
Xander was on my list for a long time pre-babies (and pre-husband) but my husband was not on into it. But in my imaginary x-naming world, he is. So Xander, and yes it would be partially inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
A girl is harder. Xanthippe was a name I only encountered in the last few years (on another television show! Unbreakable Kimmie Schmidt). I like it though, maybe enough to use it in real life—if it fit with my other babies’ names (it doesn’t and that matters to me).
After we are done with the alphabet, we should talk about what names we would use from television programs. It’s amazing how a program or movie can make a name that previously seemed completely unwearable now sound like the perfect name.
I am loathe to question you but … are you sure it is xan-thuh? I always heard Xan-thee. Well my mum says theee and she is usually spot on with the classics and corrects me often.
Xavier (like the saint not the xmen)
Xanthe
This game is so fun and gave me something nice to ruminate on thank you so much!!
Xavier and Ximena, if pronounced like ha-vee-air and he-me-na. I love Spanish names, but since I have 0% ancestry and now live in a place with hardly any Spanish speakers, I wouldn’t feel comfortable using them in real life.
Xander and Xena would be my next choices – especially if they were boy/girl twins! Love it.
I hadn’t heard the name Xanthe before, and
in my head pronounced it without the e, sounding like anth in anthem.
Girl: I love Xena, but it rhymes with my name, so I wouldn’t choose it IRL. I would choose Xenia for a real baby only if I could get people to pronounce the “x” as in Greek with the “ks” sound. I’ve loved Ksenia/Ksenya since I first heard it used in Russia, but if I couldn’t get people to pronounce Xenia that way, I would just spell it with “ks” and choose Xanthea or Xiomara for my “x” name.
Boy: Xavian. This would be just different enough from Xavier that it wouldn’t be too close to my former student Javier, and it would hopefully prevent anyone from pronouncing it as if it started with “eggs.” I intensely dislike that pronunciation of Xavier as a first name, but I wouldn’t mind Xavian pronounced with a “ks” or a “z” sound.
I actually have a cat named Xander, but even though we call him that exclusively, it’s the name on his vet records, etc, I secretly think his name is really Alexander because Xander seems to nicknamy to me to be a real name. (This is my personal hangup).
There’s Xavier, if we could pretend this is happening in a universe in which one of my kids didn’t have a frenemy by that name. Maybe Xena for a girl? I don’t know. X is hard.
Thanks for reminding me I love the name Xiomara!
For a boy, also probably Xavier. My favorite pronunciation is SA-vee-air or HA-vee-air, but for the second one I like the spelling Javier better.
I probably wouldn’t use either of these as I don’t have Latinx or Spanish ancestry.
Xena for a girl as a salute to the warrior princess.
Xander for a boy but I don’t *love* it.
Another Xanthe and Xavier (nn Xavi) here
I work with a Xenia and love her name so much. I would choose Xenia for sure. And I guess Xavier, but mostly because I can’t think of another boy X name. :)
Xanthia and Xavier.
Xander or Xenia.
Hmm, while Xavier has the advantage of familiarity, I’d go with Xander or Xadrian for a boy.
For a girl, I’d choose Xanthea. After reading the comments I’m also now intrigued by the historical Xanthippe, so I’m off to read a little more about her.
Xavier and Xenia for me, with pronunciation issues galore. My own husband says Xenia egzeenia and I cannot.
I never thought of myself as having ordinary/normal taste in names but among namenerds I apparently do’
Xander and Ximena
Xavier and Xiomara, I think.
Xochitl for a girl; Xander for a boy
In the new Babysitter’s Club reboot, Dawn’s character is played by a girl named Xochitl Gomez, pronounced ‘Sochi’, and I LOOOOOOVE it!
Xiomara and Xavier
This is a tough one! I like Xiomara for a girl but would never use it. I can just about see myself using Xanthe in real life – like if my baby-naming partner was completely in love with it and there were no other names we could compromise on, I could probably be happy with it.
For a boy, I only like Xanti (the Basque form of Santiago, thank you behind the name!).
I’ve just realised that leaves my two picks as Xanthe and Xanti, which sound incredibly similar! (FWIW I have a degree in classics and the Greek pronunciation is definitely xanthee not xanthuh.)
So Xiomara and Xanti.
Xavia/Xavi (g)
Xavier or Xavi (b)
Xanthe is definitely my girl pick, and I think there are various pronunciations around the world but in the US and UK I’ve primarily heard it as Zanthee, some other places you might get Zanthuh or Ksanthee or Ksanthuh, which is getting closer to the Greek maybe where Zanthee pronunciation is anglicized. Xander is such a nice boys name, though I’d be inclined to have it as a nickname for Alexander.
Xanthia & Xavier
Xanthe and Xavier
Xanthe & Xavian
My surname is Marks, so with an X name you get a bit “X marks the spot”, like in a treasure map – but I don’t know if that’s actually a negative? I think it’s kinda fun!
I have met a Xanthe who pronounced it ‘zan-thie’ so I choose that one pronounced that way. I actually love it – I’m going to add it to my long list. I love Xiomara too – thanks Jane the Virgin!
I guess Xander is my choice but I’m currently watching Buffy for the first time – on the final season now! – and it feels unusable because of the character but maybe just some time and distance would make it viable again.
This one is easy as there are only two X names that I like, and I like them enough to use: Xavier and Xanthe
My husband and I looked at a list of girl’s names starting with X, and he worried most of them sounded made-up, aside from the Aztec ones like Xochitl (we don’t have Aztec heritage, so we wouldn’t pick that). He couldn’t choose one, but I feel comfortable with Xandra. I don’t think Xandra, which is short for Alexandra (rank #130) is any more made up than Alex (#166), which is short for Alexander (#11). Though to be fair, Alex hasn’t been in the top 1000 for girls since 2004, and even then only just. Still, it’s not unusual to pick a diminutive as a given name. And unlike some other diminutives, Xandra sounds strong and forceful, not cutesy.
I love the boy name Xavier! The X is so fun and feels unique, and with a rank last year of 91, it’s in that perfect sweet spot of familiar but special.
X: Xandra and Xavier
Y: Yvette and Yakob
Z: Zelie and Zechariah