Vivian

Latin
"life"

Vivian Origin and Meaning

The name Vivian is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "life".

Deriving from the Roman cognomen Vivianus, Vivian was originally a masculine name, with Vivien being a feminine soundalike coined by Alfred Lord Tennyson for the Lady of the Lake in his famous poetic adaptation of the legend of King Arthur. It has since become a much more popular choice for girls in the US, but retains a refined British charm which sees it cropping up occasionally for boys in the Telegraph birth announcements.

Fun fact: Vivian is the middle name of Daniel Cleaver, Hugh Grant's rakish character in the Bridget Jones movies.

# 921 in the US

Vivian Rank in US Top 1000

# 1100 on Nameberry

Vivian Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Vivian Popularity

Famous People Named Vivian

  • Vivian Patrick CampbellNorthern Irish guitarist and co,vocalist of rock bands Def Leppard, Last In Line and Riverdogs
  • Vivian CrawfordEnglish cricketer
  • Vivian WoodwardEnglish footballer
  • Vivian Hunter GalbraithEnglish historian and professor at Oxford
  • Vivian BoseJudge of the Supreme Court of India
  • Vivian Van DammEnglish Impresario of the Windmill Theatre
  • Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimonsSouth African herpetologist
  • Vivian EllisEnglish musical comedy composer
  • Vivian FuchsEnglish explorer
  • Vivian H. H. GreenRector of Lincoln College and Oxford
  • Vivian BlakeJamaican politician and Chief Justice of the Bahamas
  • Vivian NaylorLeyland, British aristocrat and banker
  • Vivian BendallEnglish Conservative politician
  • Vivian CookEnglish linguist and Professor at Newcastle University
  • Vivian JacksonJamaican reggae musician
  • Vivian de BuffrénilFrench histologist and palaeobiologist
  • Vivian RichardsAntiguan cricketer and sports commentator
  • Vivian ImermanSouth African businessman and former CEO of Del Monte
  • Vivian AndersonEnglish football coach and defender
  • Vivian HarrisGuyanese boxer

Vivian in Pop Culture

  • Vivian SmithSmythe,Smith, character from the Monty Python sketch "Upper Class Twit of the Year"
  • Daniel Vivian Cleavercharacter from book/film Bridget Jones Diary