Xavi

Xavi is a Catalan short form of Xavier, which derives from the Basque place name Etxeberria, meaning new house. The place gave its surname to Saint Francis Xavier, the sixteenth-century Navarrese missionary and co-founder of the Society of Jesus, whose fame spread the name throughout the Catholic world. Xavi gained particular recognition through the Spanish footballer Xavi Hernández, one of the most celebrated midfielders of the early twenty-first century. Related forms include Xavier, Javier, and the Basque Xabier.