Xavier for a girl

[SmeleanorSmellstrop]

I met a little (female) toddler called Xavier yesterday, and I was initially surprised but it really suited her! I can't seem to find anything online about whether this is supposed to be a unisex name (found a few pages which hint that it might be technically unisex but just very rarely used as a girl's name). Wondering if anyone knew/had any thoughts on Xavier for a girl? (Just curious really! We are expats and mum of Xavier doesn't speak much English so won't be on Mumsnet so thought it wouldn't hurt to ask you lot your thoughts!)

Without doing a Google I’ve heard of Xavarine (I know someone called this - French) and Avarine (I think) as woman’s name.
Xavier - nice name. Think of it (U.K. here) as maybe 95% male but there’s something making me think I have come across as a female name?

No. Unless you'd call a male child Chloe.

Me too @HeronLanyon! At first I was really surprised when she told me her daughter's name but then something sort of dawned on me like, a feeling that maybe it WAS unisex but I can't imagine where I got that idea from as I cant remmeber ever meeting a female Xavier before. 🤔 I think it's nice too!

Xaviere with an e at the end is the feminine version in the French speaking world.

fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xavi%C3%A8re_(pr%C3%A9nom)

Lots of currently unisex names started off as purely male and then more and more parents started using it for their daughters. It's not really a case of, 'meant to be' unisex.

The internet searches seem unclear - like pages for Xavier as a girl's name do seem to exist but without much information, or they just state that very few girls have been named Xavier whereas X amount of boys were. So it doesn't categorically say either way (whereas usually it will for a name)

Oohh @garlictwist thank you for that! Maybe it was Xaviere with an 'e'!

And you're righr, @WineInTheWillows. I suppose I mean more whether it's an accepted/established girl's name or if it's part of the more modern fashion of giving girls traditionally male names (like James or Ryan). I don't have any strong feeling either way, just curious really, but I do like it for a girl!

Never heard of Xavier for a girl! It’s a great name though, always liked it. Want to cry when I hear how they pronounce it on X-Men though!!

I know a Zavia and have also seen Xavia. Maybe it was one of those?

I've heard of Xaviera

There's no rule saying a name has to be male or female. We knew an Alistair in a Paris primary school who was a girl, I believe Cruz (name of Victoria Beckham's third son) is traditionally a girl's name in Spain.

No. Sounds ugly for a girl.

One feminine form is Xaviera

Google search for that still produces first hit of Xaviera Hollander. The Happy Hooker books were very well known in the 70s, and I was wondering if they were still remembered - seems they are.

I guess for a girl it would bespelled Xavia? Which I think is still a boy's name (Basque?) but I can see might creep towards unisex. Like Oliver and Oliva (less common than Olivia, but definitely a name)

I could see Xavia as a girl’s name, pronounced Zay-via or Za-via, or Xaviere, pronounced Zavi-air. The first is definitely growing on me!

If Xaviere wouldnt it be pronounced Zav-ee-air ?

Once a boy's name becomes established a girl's name, it slowly stops being used for boys.

Parents seem to like giving their daughters a traditional boy's name, but it is very rare that parents will give their sons a name traditionally applied to girls (unless they don't automatically make the connection, eg Cruz Beckham).

I find it an irritating and rather sexist development. Why is it cool and strong for a girl to take a boy's name but unthinkable the other way round? Why are the names Ashley and Robin almost wholly girls' names in the US now? Why, out of the entire plethora of girls' names available, do parents feel the need to give their daughter a male name? What message are we sending to our children about the desirability and status of traditionally female names when the shift only seems to go one way? (with certain exceptions, eg Clarence).

That said, if the name was Xaviere, I take no issue with it.

Was it not Xavia or Zavia?

How about xanthe instead it's more obviously female

Could you have misheard it? I meant to add.

I imagine it was feminised within an e on the end, would be slightly strange otherwise....

I think it was the same name as Xavier because she mentioned the saint with the same name (Francis Xavier) so definitely think it was either this or some feminine form?

How unusual. It feels fairly masculine to me. I suppose Xaviere spelt like this, does look more feminine. But like pp I'm still not very keen on masculine sounding names used on girls as it means they stop getting used much for boys unfortunately.

I agree with @EdgeOfACoin. I hate lovely boys names being dropped because it's suddenly trendy to use them for girls.

I would def still use names considered unisex for boys (for me that includes Ashley and Robin) and would also use names that have become more girl names for boys, like Jocelyn and Hilary, but I think I'm in the minority.

I really don't want to lose names like Rowan or James from the boy side! It bugs me when I hear them being used for girls. So I'd be against Xavier for a girl.

Would you call a boy Eleanor?
Xavier is a boy's name.

Use Xaniere or Xaviera for a girl.