Poll: How do you say Xavier?

Boy Names
1

See the results of this poll: How do you pronounce Xavier?

Respondents: 105 (This poll is closed)

  • EX-ay-vee-er : 59 (56%)
  • ZAY-vee-er: 46 (44%)
2

Most names beginning with an “X” are pronounced with a “Z”. I pronounce it “ZAY-vee-er.” It matters to me.

3

I pronounce it Ex-ay-vee-er, though I believe the Z pronounciation is the classic one. I like the name pronounced as I do but less so pronounced the Z way.

4

Zay-vee-er
I never understood how people got ex-zay-vee-er. Xerox isn’t ex-zeer-ox. Xylophone isn’t ex-zy-lo-phone. For me the difference in pronunciation is huge and I’d be annoyed if my son was called ex-zay-vee-er

5

Thanks! I just wanted to clarify by “does it matter” I mean is it easily corrected or would it be an issue enough to ditch the name all together.

6

I didn’t vote because I really don’t say it either way. It takes a lot of effort on the part of my tongue to make sure the vee-yur part is distinct! I say it ZAVE-yur. I had no idea the “Z” pronunciation was the classic one–I feel like whenever I hear the pronunciation given, it’s always ex-zay-vyur, so I figured that was just the proper one. I don’t think it’d be that much of a problem to get people to say it with the “ex” beginning, I hear it that way quite frequently.

7

My grandfather’s mn is [name]Xavier[/name]. We always have pronounced it Ex-a-vier. I also know several little [name]Xavier[/name] s at my nephew’s and neice’s pre-school/elementary schools. They are all pronounced Ex-a-vier. Many have the nn Ex. As you can see on this site it is pronounced both ways. Click on [name]Xavier[/name] and look at the top left. It will be up to you to express how you as his parents want it pronounced.

8

Well the [name]Xavier[/name] I know says it Ex-a-vier and that’s how I’ve known it to be pn…

So I voted EX, but I say it more like: Ex-ay-vur

9

I am a fan of the X-Men, and always pronounced it Ex-zayv-yur, as in Professor [name]Charles[/name] [name]Xavier[/name].

10

I voted ex-ay-vee-er but it’s really more like ig-zay-vee-er when I say it. I like it both ways though.

11

I’ve only ever heard it pronounced ZAY-vee-er so the current poll result really shocks me. Personally, if I met a child called [name]Xavier[/name] and pronounced Ex-ay-vee-er, I would assume that the parents had read it somewhere (or seen X-Men!) and never realised that they were saying it incorrectly. It reminds me of stories from a friend (who works in an area where education has long been an issue) of parents pronouncing [name]Juan[/name] ‘Jew-ann’ and [name]Yvonne[/name] ‘Why-von-ee’.

I’ll add that I’m Australian. Perhaps ZAY-vee-er/ZAY-vyer is the ‘official’ pronunciation here and in Britain and Ex-ay-vee-er/Ex-ay-vyer is more common in the US.

12

I say it EX-ay-vee-er, despite the classic pronunciation. I just like the sound better.

13

My pronunciation is more like ex-zay-vee-ur

Great name, by the way!

14

Nat108, some people say ‘ex-ay-vee-er’ because that’s the way that some people NAMED [name]Xavier[/name] pronounce their own name. I have a cousin who married a man named [name]Xavier[/name] & he himself pronounces it ‘ex-ay-vee-er’. He doesn’t get annoyed when people say it that way because that’s the way it’s pronounced in his case.

15

Thanks to being taught French at an early age, I will always pronounce [name]Xavier[/name] as Ex-ah-vee-ay.

16

Zayve-yur.

I think Ex-ay-vi-er is a little silly, but sounds cool! I’d much prefer someone use the traditional spelling and pronounce it that way than spell it Exzavier or something silly like that if that’s the pronunciation they wanted.

17

I voted for Ex-ay-vee-er. I’ve always pronounced the name this way. This is the way the priest at church says St. [name]Francis[/name] [name]Xavier[/name] (the parish that my family belongs to). Also, my Dad’s middle name is [name]Xavier[/name] (named after St. [name]Francis[/name] [name]Xavier[/name]) and he always pronounces his name as [name]James[/name] [name]Xavier[/name] “Ex-ay-vee-er”.

18

Ex-a-vier.

19

Ex-ay-vee-er… as in X-Men’s [name]Charles[/name] [name]Xavier[/name] yes haha. I’ve actually never heard it said the other way.

20

Agreeing with folks above on the three-syllable ehk-[name]SAY[/name]-vyer (my preference). The other pronunciation would be the two-syllable ZAY-vyer. Go with what you love and just be prepared to tell folks how you want his name pronounced.