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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

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Original poster

How would you pronounce...

109 replies

Babynamechangerr · 06/10/2019 03:52

Xavier?

If you saw the name Xavier written down and had to say it out loud, how would you pronounce it?

I know there are different ways to pronounce, I just want to see what the most common is.

Would be useful to know if you're British or from elsewhere (as I know this may influence pronunciation).

Thanks for your help!

OP posts:

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SleepingStandingUp · 08/10/2019 09:37

Blame Professor Charles Xavier!

OP if you're going to go with it just correct e ery mispronunciatiom but don't let it get to you

Inlovewitharagorn · 08/10/2019 07:34

Za - vee - ay first because the one we knew first pronounced it that way.
Now we know a Zay-vee-er (like saviour with a z) so I'm used to that now.
Both those are nice and people will get used to the one you choose quickly.
The American pronunciation (ex - ay - vee - er) is the only one I dislike.

SleepingStandingUp · 08/10/2019 02:09

Yeah Re Catalan pronunciation, when DS of said name was in PICU one of the docs was from Catalan and she said they pronounce it Ta vee air. Love the sound of it with a T but that would require a spelling change or a lifetime of explaining and too many hospital notes said Xaiver by then lol. Italian doc pronounced it Za vee air as did the very posh English doc. XMen fans do the Ex zay ve uh

caringcarer · 08/10/2019 00:17

Zay vee er

OpiesOldLady · 08/10/2019 00:16

Omg. I've been saying xylophone wrongly. For years.

FrancisCrawford · 08/10/2019 00:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

dellacucina · 08/10/2019 00:05

@Griefmonster fair enough, but I think OP is trying to get a sense of what the first instincts are of people re pronunciation of this name based on background and experience.

If OP is Catalan and going for the Chabier pronunciation, sounds like he will be explaining that a lot if he lives in England

1066vegan · 08/10/2019 00:04

I'm British but the first Xavier I met had a French mum so my first thought is the French pronunciation (sort of Zav-ee-air).
I've also met a few that pronounce it a bit more like Zav-ee-ay.
I did meet one that was pronounced with an initial Eks sound which seemed a bit odd.

Really surprised by the way that a couple of posters pronounce xylophone. I'm a primary school teacher so it's a pretty everyday word to me. In (almost) 30 years I've literally never heard it pronounced as anything other than zye-luh-phone. All the specialist music teachers I've met have pronounced it that way so I'm 100% sure that the initial "x" is pronounced as a "z".

PixieDustt · 07/10/2019 23:53

Zay-Vee-Err never heard of the name until a patient came in and I had to quickly YouTube how to say the name before I called them in . Lovely name though! Also British.

MrsPellegrinoPetrichor · 07/10/2019 23:52

No, they said "Gsy" not "Zy..."

That's a soft Z , surely?

Danglingmod · 07/10/2019 23:51

No, they said "Gsy" not "Zy..."

Griefmonster · 07/10/2019 23:50

Dellacucina - Im Xavier is the Catalan version of Javier (or vice versa!) And as PP said, X is pronounced 'ch' so I would also assume Chabier

Blueuggboots · 07/10/2019 23:49

Some people say ex-ay-vee-ah with the emphasis on the ex.

dellacucina · 07/10/2019 23:45

(recognising that Javier is probably (?) d
a different name)

dellacucina · 07/10/2019 23:44

American

From my childhood, would have thought Ex-ave-ee-er.

Later in life (having studied Spanish and travelled more), Hah-vee-ayr.

BreconBeBuggered · 07/10/2019 23:42

In my head I read it the French way, but the only person I know with Xavier in their name (a middle name) pronounces it like ex-saviour.

UndomesticHousewife · 07/10/2019 23:38

Zav-eee-eh

Ohyesiam · 07/10/2019 23:33

Like saviour with a Z

UterusUterusGhali · 07/10/2019 23:33

Hav-ee-ay or Hav-ee-air

Ninkaninus · 07/10/2019 23:32

Za vee ay (broadly) which I believe is the French pronunciation

Or Ha vee ay (broadly) which I believe is the Spanish pronunciation

CatBoyOnTheRun · 07/10/2019 23:30

Zave year.
Zave rhymes with save.

MrsPellegrinoPetrichor · 07/10/2019 23:25

Xylophone is Zy - luh - phone

Which is what Grufallosfriends said,isn't it ?

SleepingStandingUp · 07/10/2019 19:17

Mine is pronounced Zay-ve-uh (like saviour but with a Z) but we do get some mispronunciations. Za vee ay, Ex ay ve uh, Za ve air

Danglingmod · 07/10/2019 19:14

Xylophone is Zy - luh - phone

CharitySchmarity · 07/10/2019 19:05

I always thought it was normally pronounced ZAY-vee-er in English and ZAV-ee-ay in French. However the only one I've known personally was Polish, and according to Polish pronunciation rules he ought really to have been KSAV-yair, but his English-speaking teachers all pronounced it the "French" way.

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