Xanthia
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "yellow" or "blonde".
Name Census estimates that about 36 living Americans carry the first name Xanthia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Xanthia today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Xanthia births was 2003 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Xanthia. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Xanthia with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Xanthia. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
36
~ 1 in 9,520,954 Americans
Peak year
2003
8 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2011 SSA rank
#19,450
Tracked since 1981
Census
Xanthia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 119 people with the first name Xanthia, which placed it at #50,492 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#50,492
National first-name rank
People counted
119
119 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
40.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Xanthia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Xanthia is White at 40.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.2%) and Black (21.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Xanthia described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Xanthia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White40.3% · 48
- Hispanic or Latino25.2% · 30
- Black or African American21.0% · 25
- Two or more races9.2% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Popularity
Xanthia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Xanthia from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 14 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Xanthia remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Xanthia by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Xanthia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Xanthia
Xanthia is a feminine given name of Greek origin, derived from the Greek word "xanthos," meaning "yellow" or "golden-haired." The name is believed to have emerged during the ancient Greek era, possibly as early as the 5th century BCE.
In Greek mythology, Xanthia was the name of one of the Oceanids, the three thousand daughters of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys. She was associated with the golden hues of the sun and the beauty of nature. The name may have been bestowed upon children with fair or golden hair, celebrating their physical appearance.
While the name Xanthia is not widely mentioned in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has left its mark on history through various individuals who bore the name. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the 2nd century BCE, when a Greek woman named Xanthia was mentioned in a legal document from Delphi.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Xanthia. One such figure was Xanthia of Cyzicus (c. 350 BCE), a Greek philosopher and follower of Plato. She is known for her contributions to the field of ethics and her teachings on virtue and morality.
Another notable Xanthia was a Byzantine empress who lived in the 11th century CE. Xanthia Radene, born in 1025, was the wife of Emperor Constantine IX Monomachos. She played a significant role in the political and cultural life of the Byzantine Empire during her reign.
In the 16th century, Xanthia Cesi (1528-1585) was an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts. She supported and sponsored numerous artists, writers, and intellectuals, contributing to the cultural renaissance of her time.
Moving forward to the 19th century, Xanthia Battenberg (1819-1901) was a German princess and member of the Battenberg family. She married Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine and was known for her philanthropic endeavors and support of various charitable causes.
More recently, in the 20th century, Xanthia Walker (1923-2008) was an American actress and singer who appeared in several Broadway productions and television shows. She was recognized for her versatile performances and her contribution to the entertainment industry.
While the name Xanthia may not be as common as some other Greek names, it has persisted through the ages, carrying with it a rich history and cultural significance. Its association with golden hues, beauty, and the natural world has made it a unique and evocative choice for parents seeking a name with a strong Greek heritage.
People
Xanthia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Xanthia as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with X
Other first names starting with X with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Xanthia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Xanthia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 36 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Xanthia going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 9,520,954 US residents.
Is Xanthia a common name?
We classify Xanthia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 49.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 37 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Xanthia most popular?
The single biggest year for Xanthia was 2003, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Xanthia is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Xanthia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 119 people with the name Xanthia, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #50,492 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Xanthia in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Xanthia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Xanthia appears almost entirely female. Of the 118 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Xanthia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Xanthia is White at 40.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.2%) and Black (21.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Xanthia most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Xanthia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 40.3% (48 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Xanthia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Xanthia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Xanthia in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Xanthia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Xanthia in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Xanthia can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Xanthia?
You can see how many people have the name Xanthia on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.