Given name

Xerxes

“a monarch; a ruler of heroes”

Xerxes is used as a given name. One Persian interpretation is “a monarch; a ruler of heroes.”

Meaning & origin

What it means

One Persian interpretation is “a monarch; a ruler of heroes.”

Where it comes from

An origin associated with this spelling is Persian.

How it developed

In English usage, Xerxes developed from Ξέρξης.

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1974. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

Xerxes through the years

Babies since 1880
304
304 boys · 0 girls
Most popular year
2018
21 babies
2025
17
#5,593 for boys
2021–25 vs 2016–20
+20%
Rising
051015198020002025Highest share 201810.0
Xerxes in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1974–2025, per million boys born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 17 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 5,593 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 20.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 21 in 2018. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 344 as a first name in 2020.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

Xerxes’s family of names

In English usage, Xerxes developed from the Ancient Greek form Ξέρξης. In German usage, Xerxes has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form JERES. In German usage, Xerxes has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form JERGES.

Walk Xerxes’s family in the name graph

XerxesXerxusXerxasXerxosAhasuerusSerseXeresJergesक्षयार्षΞέρξηςKserkses

Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Around the world

Xerxes has relatives in 6 languages. Lines run from its Persian roots to each of them.

SpanishEnglishHindiPersian

8 related names in 6 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.

Each dot marks where a language is rooted, not where people with the name live today. Bigger dots hold more names. Dots on the border stand for languages further away. Language locations from Glottolog (CC BY 4.0); map from Natural Earth.

Nicknames & forms 3

Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.

Across languages 9

Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.

Show 1 moreShow fewer

People named Xerxes

Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.

Appears in

Similar names

If you love Xerxes, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

Arabic · Modern

Ehsan

“favor, kindness, beneficence”

27RareRising fast

>99% boys

Arabic · Modern

Borja

“tower”

14Very rareRising fast

>99% boys

Arabic · Modern

Amjad

“more glorious” · “having glory and honor”

21RareSteady

>99% boys

Persian · Modern

Mehran

Mehran is a masculine given name from Persian, ultimately from Middle Persian.

21RareRising fast

>99% boys

Arabic · Modern

Basim

“a smiling man”

13Very rareEasing

>99% boys

Arabic · Modern

Wafi

“one who is trustworthy”

0Not recently recorded

>99% boys

Persian · Modern

Sardar

Sardar is a surname from Persian.

11Very rare

>99% boys

Arabic · Modern

Mahmud

“one who is praiseworthy”

11Very rareSteady

>99% boys

Sibling ideas

Names that share Xerxes’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Xerxes

A sister for Xerxes