Xerxes
Xerxes is a male name. It is the Greek version of the Old Persian name Xšaya-ṛšā, which is today known in Modern Persian as Khashayar.
- Old Persian
- History
Meaning & Origin of Xerxes
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Xerxes is a male name. It is the Greek version of the Old Persian name Xšaya-ṛšā, which is today known in Modern Persian as Khashayar.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Old Persian
- History
The Story of Xerxes
Xerxes first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1974, with 6 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2018: 21 births, good for #4,610 nationwide. About 36% of every Xerxes on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Xerxes ranks #4,832 for baby boys with 21 births, rising sharply (+33% over the past five years). All told, over 328 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Xerxes
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Xerxes. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Khshayarsha
- Xšayarša
Names that sound like Xerxes
Phonetically similar names — useful when Xerxes is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Xxy
- Succes
- Axes
- Sixes
- Sexes
- Turkeys
- Taxis
- Surcease
- Circuses
- Soxs
- Saxes
- Taxies
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Xerxes
What does the name Xerxes mean?
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How popular is Xerxes in 2026?
When was Xerxes most popular?
In which U.S. states is Xerxes most popular?
Is Xerxes a unisex name?
What names go well with Xerxes?
What are nicknames or variants of Xerxes?
About the name Xerxes
Xerxes is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1974 and has accumulated 328 births in the dataset. Xerxes's peak popularity came in 2018 when it ranked #3,943. Use the chart and map above to compare Xerxes's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2018 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "X" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.