Xitlalli is a variant of the Nahuatl name Citlalli, meaning star.
Xitlalli is a Nahuatl name meaning 'star,' derived from the root xitl or cītlālli (also written Citlali), the Classical Nahuatl word for a celestial star. 5 million people in Mexico today, is one of the great indigenous languages of the Americas, and its naming tradition is rich with nature, cosmos, and deity. Stars held immense significance in Mexica cosmology — the Pleiades cluster timed the sacred 52-year calendar cycle, and individual stars were associated with gods, warriors, and divine portent.
The name appears in various spellings — Citlalli, Xitlali, Citlaly — with Xitlalli representing the more orthographically elaborate form that honors the Nahuatl writing conventions adopted by colonial-era scribes. The 'X' in Classical Nahuatl was pronounced like the English 'sh,' so Xitlalli sounds closer to 'shee-TLAH-lee' than its visual form might suggest to English readers. This makes it a name that rewards its bearer with a built-in story: explaining its sound and source is itself an act of cultural reclamation.
Xitlalli has experienced a meaningful revival in recent decades as Mexican and Chicano families have embraced indigenous heritage naming as a form of identity and resistance. Alongside names like Quetzal, Itzel, and Itzamná, it signals a conscious turn away from Hispanicized names toward pre-colonial roots. It is both ancient and contemporary, carrying a cosmic weight — you are named for a star — that is universally understood even when the linguistic lineage is not.