X Factor Baby Names

This name may be related to the Latin Maximus, which means "the greatest," or to a British landowner's name, but for most modern parents, it's one of several ways to get to short form Max.

 Probably its most noted bearers is influential twentieth century painter and illustrator Maxfield Parrish, who was born Frederick but later adopted the maiden name of his maternal grandmother.

Maxfield

The Basque form of Salvador starts with the intriguing letter X, which is pronounced like a "sh" sound in the Basque language. Xabat is a great Basque heritage choice, but we must note that it sounds almost identical to the word "Shabbat", the Jewish day of rest. 

Xabat

Calista Flockhart may have made her variation of this beautiful Greek name familiar to modern Americans, but the even-edgier x version was the name of an earlier feminist heroine: a character in Kate Chopin's The Storm.

Calixta

Famous as the long-suffering wife of the philosopher Socrates.

Xanthippe

Galician form of Joel, in the Top 25 in Galicia and Top 250 in Spain. As with Joel and Noel, pronunciation can sound like one syllable or two.

Xoel

Aviator is equally appropriate for a girl, of course, but lovers of Beatrix and Bellatrix might appreciate the spiky sound of this unique occupational name.

Aviatrix

As long as nobody connects it with xenophobia -- the fear of strangers and the unknown. 

Xenobia

Notably borne by musician Xhoana Xheneti — known professionally as Xhoana X — Xhoana is an Albanian form of Joan. It ultimately derives from John, making it one of many international, feminine variations.
 
The spelling might throw anyone unfamiliar with the name, but the Albanian Xh makes an English J sound, meaning Xhoana is pronounced similarly to the English Joanna.

Xhoana

The Albanian form of Jessica, borne by music artist and influencer Xhesika Ndoj and model Xhesika Berberi.

Xhesika

The letter X seems to all by itself create 

. Think about Jackson, an already-trendy name made livelier by the Jaxon variation. Even classic names with an X, such as Alexander, seem more, well, exciting compared to other traditional names.

 include Axel, Xavier, Braxton, Ximena, Alexandra, Max, Maddox, and Xander. Even a 

makes baby names infinitely cooler, such as in Croix, Deveraux, Margaux, and Roux.

One X name you won't see on this list: Alexa. Alexa is now inextricably linked to Amazon's virtual assistant and as such, is one of the fastest-falling names of the moment.

However, there are plenty more wonderful names with Xs. Some of the best baby names with the X factor are here.

Baby names with letter X, including Xavier, Felix, and Knox, with meanings, origins, and definitions. (Page 6)