Given name & surname · also Irish Gaelic, Old French
Vivian
“white lady”·“one who is full of life; vibrant”·“one who is full of life”
Vivian is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “white lady”, “one who is full of life; vibrant” (Latin), and “one who is full of life” (Latin). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “white lady”, “one who is full of life; vibrant” (Latin), and “one who is full of life” (Latin). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Old French, Latin, and Irish Gaelic naming traditions.
How it developed
Probably from Latin Vīviānus; its root is Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃-.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
The name’s historical associations include a 5th-century bishop of Saintes in western France.
Vivian through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 230,755
- 2,583 boys · 228,172 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 4,200 babies
- 2025
- 3,367
- #72 for girls · #13,778 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −1%
- Steady
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 0% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 3,362 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 72 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 1.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 4,128 in 1920. It also appeared in 5 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (253). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 129,224 as a first name in 2020; 2,458 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Vivian’s family of names
Vivian has a short form in Vi. In English usage, Vivian has a conventional equivalent in the Italian form Viviana. Vivian has a related form in Viviana.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Vivian has relatives in 12 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
16 related names in 12 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 46
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Viviennevariant · English, French
- Vivianavariant · Italian
- Viviannavariant
- Viviannevariant · Swedish
- Vivienvariant · English, French
- Vivipet form · Danish
- Vianneydiminutive · French
- Viviannvariant · Norwegian
Show 38 moreShow fewer
- Vianvariant
- Vivianevariant · French
- Vivavariant
- Vivanvariant
- Viviavariant
- Vivievariant
- Vivyanvariant
- Vishort form
- Vivvianlikely variant
- Vivdiminutive · English
- Vyvyanvariant · English
- Vyvianvariant
- Vivianivariant
- Viveevariant
- Vivionvariant
- Vivecavariant
- Vivyanavariant
- Vivienevariant
- Viauvariant
- Vivianusvariant
- Vevayvariant
- Veveyvariant
- Vyvvariant
- Vivevariant
- Vyvavariant
- Vivinavariant
- Vyvyanavariant
- Vyvyanevariant
- Vyvyannevariant
- Vyvyannvariant
- Vyvianevariant
- Vyviannevariant
- Vyviannvariant
- Vivyannevariant
- Vivyannvariant
- Viviennvariant
- Viveanvariant
- Viviann(e)variant
Across languages 27
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Vickyequivalent
- Bibianarelated form
- Vasilikiequivalent
- Vasiliaequivalent
- Vivianoequivalent
- Bibianequivalent
- Vasiaequivalent
- Vasoequivalent
Show 19 moreShow fewer
People named Vivian
- Vivian MaierFrench-American photographer (1926–2009)
- Vivian CheruiyotKenyan long-distance runnerborn 1983
- Vivian WoodwardEnglish footballer (1879-1954)
- Vivian Kongmember of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, Hong Kong female politician, and ex-Hong Kong female fencerborn 1994
- Vivian CampbellNorthern Irish guitaristborn 1962
- Vivian FuchsBritish explorer (1908–1999)
- Vivian WuChinese actressborn 1966
- Vivian HsuTaiwanese actress and singerborn 1975
- Vivian VanceAmerican actress (1909–1979)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Vivian, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Virginia
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>99% girls
Lillian
“resembling the lily”
>99% girls
Margaret
“resembling a pearl” · “the child of light”
>99% girls
Lucille
“one who is illuminated”
>99% girls
Vita
“life”
>99% girls
Marie
“a grieving woman; one who is sorrowful”
>99% girls
Cecelia
“blind”
>99% girls
Marcella
“dedicated to Mars, the god of war” · “the little warrior”
>99% girls