Etymology. Xavier comes from the name of the Jesuit missionary saint Francis Xavier, where Xavier stands for his birthplace of Javier (Xabier in Basque; Xavier in Old Spanish) in the Kingdom of Navarre. The toponym is itself the romanization of the Basque place-name (and surname) etxe berri, meaning ‘castle’, ‘new house’ or ‘new home’.. People Arts. Xavier Abraham, Spanish poet