This name is so complex, that it's very difficult for people to properly say this name when they first see it. The name Xochitl is very unusual and complex, and I would never use the name Xochitl on a child.
While Xochitl is currently a feminine name, it was previously almost exclusively masculine. A census of Morelos in 1544 recorded 12 men named Xochitl, and no women.
The original (and variable) pronunciations of this name are 'So-CHee-TL' /so̞ˈt͡ʃi.t͡l/ in Mexican Spanish and 'SHo-CHee-TL' /ʃo̞ˈt͡ʃi.t͡l/ in its original Nahuatl pronunciation, ('o' here stands for the O as in Octopus). Now the TL sound (Voiceless Dental-alveolar lateral affricate; t͡ɬ) consists on an Rough T like in 'Time' (Voiceless dental-apical stop; t) rather than the American T in 'kitty' or in 'infinity' (alveolar tap; ɾ), and the L which it is pronounced like an L pronounced swiftly after the T doing a tap and then an L and as an "lateral H" I mean like pronouncing 'HL' making a little obstruction of air throughout the teeth (without making a stop) which sounds like an H (Voiceless dental-alveolar lateral fricative; ɬ). And not an mute L etc.. I know this may be a little confusing but I wanted to tell how it is pronounced in Mexico accurately.For further info visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Nahuatl Nahuatl is a bit complex sometimes, with 3 different ortographies and many different Nahuatl dialects as well. Thank you for reading all this. :D [noted -ed]
My parents spelled it Xochitl. But on my birth certificate it was misspelled XOCHIL. We never bothered to correct it. I have 3 older brothers and am the only girl, so my grandfather wanted a unique and special name. Growing up my parents would always make sure that I knew what a unique name I have and they also wanted to make sure people would pronounce it correctly. Till this day when I meet new people and they cannot pronounce my name right I tell them to please call me by my nickname (xoch). I've always loved my name just because it is so beautiful and rare.
― Anonymous User 4/17/2018
10
I've had this name my entire life, and I absolutely hate it. I've been teased about it, no one can pronounce it, and the worst part is, I'm extremely pale, even though my family is Mexican, So people think I'm a white girl with a Mexican name.
Pronounced "so-cheel" Nicknames can be "soch" or "so-chee" Very unique and easy to remember name Some girls in California have this name, including me.
My second name is Xochilt (pronounced mostly Zo-shee-lt). Even though I find it pretty now, it wasn't always the case. It was pretty tough when I was younger. Both amognst Canadian and French kids, but also amongst Latin kids... It was hard to the point where I refused to use it and said only my first name!
Although BtN had listed this name as Spanish as well as Native American, the reader should note that its usage is largely confined to Mexico (which makes sense as it is a Nahuatl name, Nahuatl being one of the indigenous languages of Mexico). It is virtually not used in Spain at all. According to sources only 24 women in Spain are called Xochitl, including immigrants from other countries, meaning the name is exceedingly uncommon. Perhaps the editor of this website should list Xochitl under "Spanish (Latin American)" as that would more accurately describe its usage. [noted -ed]
― Anonymous User 7/5/2012
4
This name is very pretty. A lot of native names in Latin America are lovely. And it's a legit name starting with X - an added bonus!
I read the word “Xochitl” comes from the Nahuatl stem "xotla" which means "to catch fire; to bloom, blossom". I think it's interesting how Xochitl has a second meaning (like Daisy also means "day's eye"). I love this name! It's beautiful. Xochitl sounds gorgeous and soft, and the meaning is so pretty. And the spelling is awesome. :) It looks very exotic to me. I think Xochitl and Ixchel would be perfect names for twin sisters. I know they aren’t from the same language, but in my mind, they seem to go together.
― Anonymous User 7/9/2009
3
Cool name. The proper Nahuatl pronunciation is shoh-cheetl, but it's still acceptable to pronounce it so-chee, zo-chee, or ho-chee.
This name is meant to be pronounced Ho-chee-tl; not So-chee or So-shee.
― Anonymous User 7/16/2007
3
I see that others pronounce it differently, but I've always pronounced it as so'chul. My nickname is Xochie, pronounced so'chee. There is a new tortilla chip on the market (here in Texas) named Xochitl, but pronounced so'shee.
I've met a couple of girls with this name but it's funny because this one time I was making a story and I had to name a charcter who was a snobby girl, so I ask my friend "what name do you think is the most snobbiest?" and he said that it was this one, but still I think it's cool and very Mexican (I'm Mexican!)