Vivian
Top 1000
About Vivian
Vivian, once an elderly lady name, is on the rise, along with all forms of girl names that mean life — from Zoe to Eva to those who share the vivid Viv syllable. It was one of the fastest-rising names of 2024, vaulting into the Top 100 in 2023.
The name is famous in legend and literature from Vivian, the enchantress of Merlin in the Arthurian romances, spelled Vivien in Tennyson's Idylls of the King. Originally, Vivian was the male form, Vivien the female: Vivien Leigh, for some reason, changed her name from Vivian. Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone have a daughter named Vivian, as do Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady. A memorable movie Vivian was played by Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.
Vivienne, the elaborated Gallic version, was chosen first by Rosie O'Donnell for her daughter and then catapulted to superstardom when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie used it for their twin daughter. This celebrity stamp of approval has given Vivienne a boost in popularity. An adult namesake is the British designer Vivienne Westwood.
As of October 2026, Vivian ranked #72 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #64 in 1920, Nameberry popularity #88.
Editor's take: The name Vivian is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "life".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #97 | 3,063 | 1,714.7 |
| 2015 | #95 | 3,204 | 1,794.9 |
| 2016 | #95 | 3,141 | 1,772.6 |
| 2017 | #97 | 3,032 | 1,756.2 |
| 2018 | #96 | 2,976 | 1,749.5 |
| 2019 | #96 | 2,933 | 1,747.5 |
| 2020 | #101 | 2,705 | 1,673.3 |
| 2021 | #102 | 2,693 | 1,641.2 |
| 2022 | #104 | 2,674 | 1,630.4 |
| 2023 | #87 | 2,806 | 1,748.7 |
| 2024 | #77 | 3,088 | 1,905.9 |
| 2025 | #72 | 3,362 | 2,091.7 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Vivian.
- Lydia
- Felicity
- Fiona
- Vivienne
- Celia
- Lillian
- Rosalie
- Madeleine
- Camille
- Juliette
- Cecilia
- Francesca
- Naomi
- Elise
- Emmeline
- Juliet
- Nina
- Colette
- Bridget
- Lena
Vivian on lists
Famous Vivians
- Vivian Roberta Vance
American actress
- Vivian Alferetta Dandridge
American actress
- Vivian Leigh
birth name of Viven Leigh, English actress
- Vivian Rich
American actress
- Vivian Green
American singer
- Vivian Joseph
American figure skater
- Vivian Hsu
Taiwanese singer
- Vivian Chow
Cantonese pop singer/actress
- Vivian Lai
Cantonese pop singer
- Vivian Blaine
American actress
- Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot
Kenyan Olympic distance runner
- Vivian Lake Brady (b. 2012)
daughter of supermodel Gisele Bundchen and football player Tom Brady
- Vivian Falcone
daughter of actors Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone
- Vivian Maier (1926
2009), American street photographer and nanny in Chicago's North Shore
- Vivian Giuntoli (b. 2019)
daughter of actors Bitsie Tulloch and David Giuntoli
Vivian in pop culture
- Vivian Alamain Kiriakis
character on TV soap "Days of Our Lives"
- Vivian Ward
main character played by Julia Roberts in movie "Pretty Woman"
- Vivian Banks aka "Aunt Viv
" character on TV's "The Fresh Prince of Bel,Air"
- Vivian Sternwood
character in "The Big Sleep"
- Vivian Volkoff
character on TV's "Chuck"
- Vivian Joan Abbot Walker
character in "Divine Secrets of the Ya,Ya Sisterhood"
- Vivian Regan
character in "The Big Sleep"
- Vivian
character in the novel 'Goddess of Legend' (PC Cast)
- Vivian Kensington
character in Legally Blonde
- Vivian
character in DeadEnd
- Vivian Darkbloom
the alter ego of Alison DiLaurentis in the "Pretty Little Liars" series
- Vivian
a Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door character
Variations & nicknames
- Vivi
- Viv