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I have a young relative so named, his pronounciation is ig-sav-ee-er.

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I kind of prefer the Spanish Hav-ee-air, but that's not going to happen where I live.

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Actually,the "ig-sav-ee-er" pronounciation is easily recognized where I (and my young relly) live, due to a local university, Saint Francis Xavier.

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And of course, the saint himself, Saint Francis Xavier.

Either savier or EKSavier. They sound close to me, and the only Xavier I've heard of around me is a parochial school, so as long as everyone understands you're saying Xavier, it doesn't matter. It reminds me of the school or Xavier Roberts of Cabbage Patch Dolls fame.

I say it "ZAYV-yer." The "ex-AYV-yer" pronunciation bothers me. I don't think it would be too confusing, though- I think people are generally aware there are two common pronunciations for it. Personally, I really like this name. I think it's handsome and just striking enough to attract a little attention.

I pronounce it like "savior" with a "z" (ZAY-vyər). The ig-zavier / ex-zavier pronunciations sound really ignorant, IMO.

This message was edited 9/19/2012, 4:39 PM

I pronounce this name hav-ee-AIR.

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I absolutely cannot stand hearing ex-ay-vee-er. This sounds illiterate to me.

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With a Z pronunciation, I can tolerate it.

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Yes, I think this is a name that can be confusing, because there seem to be so many pronunciations. And I would guess that there is a fair percentage of the population that has never heard of the name, and would be completely stumped when it came to any pronunciation at all.

I've never heard the "ig" sound pronounced, I use, and have only heard a short "e" sound, and it's an "ex" blended into a "z", not exactly a "g" sound in there, but really close. Also, it's a four-syllable name for me, and most of the time when I hear it, "ex-ZAY-vee-er". Occasionally, I've heard "ex-ZAY-vyer".

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ETA: I say ZAY-vee-er" for Zavier. I generally assume Xavier is meant to have the "X" sound. If the "Z" sound is prefered, Zavier makes much more sense to me.

This message was edited 9/19/2012, 11:50 AM

ZAYV-yer is the pronunciation I use. Ig-zayv-yer isn't really correct. You aren't supposed to pronounce the X as the letter, just the sound of it.

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I love the name. I'd use it on my own son. I wouldn't worry about mispronunciation. I think it's easy enough to correct.

I predominantly pronounce it Ig-Zavier, but will occasionally use Zavier. I prefer the first.

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Personally, it has always seemed a little ornate and pretentious in appearance; as if the parents are trying too hard. It's very overrated, and extremely overused.
It certainly is not as bad as some self-create abominations, but I wouldn't normally choose it. Due to it being professional and steady, I can't condemn it entirely.

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- Francesca

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I say ig-zavier. I don't mind it either way. I think people might not remember which pronunciation you prefer (if that's what you mean by confusing), but there isn't really a huge difference so I wouldn't worry about it unless you really dislike one pronunciation.

ZAY-vee-er

I pronounce it ZAYV-yer. I don't mind ig-ZAY-vyər, but I prefer ZAYV-yer by far. I have heard it pronounced ZAYV-yer the majority of the time, but I have also heard ig-ZAY-vyər. I don't think that either one would be all that problematic as both seem to be widely accepted pronunciations.

I pronounce it 'zay-vee-er', I don't like 'ex-ay-vee-er' at all, but I don't mind 'za-VYAY.'

I've only ever heard za VYAY, and it's the only one I like.

The only one I have ever heard, and so used, is EX-zayv-yer. If it's spelt Zavier then we miss out the EX.

The only pronunciation I like is the French one (za-VYAY). In fact I disliked this name until I heard that pronunciation. In English, ZAY-vyer is what I'd prefer, but I've only ever heard people say ig-ZAY-vyer.

I pronounce it SAH-vi-ehr. I'm not very fond of X names on the whole, so I can't say I like Xavier, but it's OK. Much better than mispellyngks like Xzayvier...