Xuxa
A Brazilian feminine given name, possibly derived from a Portuguese nickname.
Name Census estimates that about 28 living Americans carry the first name Xuxa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Xuxa today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Xuxa births was 1994 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Xuxa. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Xuxa. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
28
~ 1 in 12,241,226 Americans
Peak year
1994
8 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
1995 SSA rank
#15,706
Tracked since 1991
Popularity
Xuxa: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Xuxa 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 Xuxa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0 | 29 | 29 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Xuxa
The given name Xuxa has its origins in the Portuguese language. It is a diminutive form of the name Xuxu, which was a nickname for Jesus. The name gained popularity in Brazil, particularly in the late 20th century.
Xuxa is believed to have been derived from the Portuguese word "chuchu," which means a type of vegetable gourd. The name was likely used as a playful nickname or term of endearment for children, and over time, it evolved into a standalone given name.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Xuxa dates back to the late 15th century, when it appeared in Portuguese literature and historical records. However, it remained relatively uncommon until the 20th century.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the name Xuxa gained widespread recognition due to the popularity of Brazilian television personality and children's entertainer Xuxa Meneghel, whose full name is Maria da Graça Xuxa Meneghel. Xuxa Meneghel, born in 1963, became a household name in Brazil and other Latin American countries, hosting several successful children's television shows and releasing music albums.
Another notable figure with the name Xuxa was Xuxa Loffredi, an Argentine actress and singer born in 1971. She gained popularity in the 1990s for her work in Argentine television and music.
In the world of sports, Xuxa Cornelsen was a Brazilian beach volleyball player who competed in the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics. She was born in 1974.
The name Xuxa has also been used in literature. For example, Xuxa e os Duendes is a series of children's books written by Brazilian author Ana Maria Machado, featuring the character Xuxa.
While the name Xuxa is primarily associated with Brazil and Portuguese-speaking cultures, it has gained some recognition in other parts of the world due to the influence of Brazilian popular culture and media.
People
Xuxa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Xuxa 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
Xuxa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Xuxa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 28 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Xuxa 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 12,241,226 US residents.
Is Xuxa a common name?
We classify Xuxa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 45.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 29 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Xuxa most popular?
The single biggest year for Xuxa was 1994, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Xuxa is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Xuxa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Xuxa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Xuxa 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 Xuxa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Xuxa 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 Xuxa 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Xuxa?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.