Xian

Etymology 1
From the romanization of, without syllable-dividing mark.

Proper noun

 * , the provincial capital of Shaanxi, in central China.

Usage notes
can be considered a misspelling of. In theory, a syllable-dividing mark should be added before a non-initial syllable beginning with, , or. Hence, could only ever refer to a word made up of the single syllable  (cf. xian ) since a word made up of  and  would be spelled as  (cf. Xi'an). In practice, syllable-dividing marks are often added or omitted at will.

Etymology 2
Borrowed from.

Statistics

 * According to the 2010 United States Census, Xian is the 38050th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 583 individuals. Xian is most common among Asian/Pacific Islander (97.6%) individuals.

Etymology 3
From X as a stand-in for as an initial representing, q.v. In present use, a modern coinage after the model of.

Pronunciation

 * like

Usage notes
Although there is nothing offensive in the derivation of the term itself, its informal nature and use among skeptics and atheists sometimes makes the form seem dismissive or offensive to Christians.