Zavier

Zavier is an anglicized respelling of Xavier, which derives from the Basque place name Etxeberria or Xabier, meaning new house. The name gained widespread use as a given name through the influence of Saint Francis Xavier, the sixteenth-century Spanish-Navarrese Jesuit missionary renowned for his work in India, Japan, and East Asia. Zavier follows a pattern of respelling Xavier with an initial Z to reflect its common English pronunciation. Related forms include Xabier, Javier, and Xavier itself.