Vivian
99% girls · 1% boys
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.
Vivian for girls#72 US
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.
Vivian for boys#13778 US
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.
Pronounced VIV-ee-un.
As of October 2026, Vivian ranked #72 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #64 in 1920, Nameberry popularity #56.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · girls | Births · girls | US rank · boys | Births · boys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #97 | 3,063 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #95 | 3,204 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #95 | 3,141 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #97 | 3,032 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #96 | 2,976 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #96 | 2,933 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #101 | 2,705 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #102 | 2,693 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #104 | 2,674 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #87 | 2,806 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #77 | 3,088 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #72 | 3,362 | — | 0 |
World rankings
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Vivian on lists
Famous Vivians
- Vivian Roberta VanceGirl
American actress
- Vivian Alferetta DandridgeGirl
American actress
- Vivian LeighGirl
birth name of Viven Leigh, English actress
- Vivian RichGirl
American actress
- Vivian GreenGirl
American singer
- Vivian JosephGirl
American figure skater
- Vivian HsuGirl
Taiwanese singer
- Vivian ChowGirl
Cantonese pop singer/actress
- Vivian LaiGirl
Cantonese pop singer
- Vivian BlaineGirl
American actress
- Vivian Jepkemoi CheruiyotGirl
Kenyan Olympic distance runner
- Vivian Lake Brady (b. 2012)Girl
daughter of supermodel Gisele Bundchen and football player Tom Brady
- Vivian FalconeGirl
daughter of actors Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone
- Vivian Maier (1926Girl
2009), American street photographer and nanny in Chicago's North Shore
- Vivian Giuntoli (b. 2019)Girl
daughter of actors Bitsie Tulloch and David Giuntoli
- Vivian Patrick CampbellBoy
Northern Irish guitarist and co,vocalist of rock bands Def Leppard, Last In Line and Riverdogs
- Vivian CrawfordBoy
English cricketer
- Vivian WoodwardBoy
English footballer
- Vivian Hunter GalbraithBoy
English historian and professor at Oxford
- Vivian BoseBoy
Judge of the Supreme Court of India
- Vivian Van DammBoy
English Impresario of the Windmill Theatre
- Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimonsBoy
South African herpetologist
- Vivian EllisBoy
English musical comedy composer
- Vivian FuchsBoy
English explorer
- Vivian H. H. GreenBoy
Rector of Lincoln College and Oxford
- Vivian BlakeBoy
Jamaican politician and Chief Justice of the Bahamas
- Vivian NaylorBoy
Leyland, British aristocrat and banker
- Vivian BendallBoy
English Conservative politician
- Vivian CookBoy
English linguist and Professor at Newcastle University
- Vivian JacksonBoy
Jamaican reggae musician
- Vivian de BuffrénilBoy
French histologist and palaeobiologist
- Vivian RichardsBoy
Antiguan cricketer and sports commentator
- Vivian ImermanBoy
South African businessman and former CEO of Del Monte
- Vivian AndersonBoy
English football coach and defender
- Vivian HarrisBoy
Guyanese boxer
Vivian in pop culture
- Vivian Alamain KiriakisGirl
character on TV soap "Days of Our Lives"
- Vivian WardGirl
main character played by Julia Roberts in movie "Pretty Woman"
- Vivian Banks aka "Aunt VivGirl
" character on TV's "The Fresh Prince of Bel,Air"
- Vivian SternwoodGirl
character in "The Big Sleep"
- Vivian VolkoffGirl
character on TV's "Chuck"
- Vivian Joan Abbot WalkerGirl
character in "Divine Secrets of the Ya,Ya Sisterhood"
- Vivian ReganGirl
character in "The Big Sleep"
- VivianGirl
character in the novel 'Goddess of Legend' (PC Cast)
- Vivian KensingtonGirl
character in Legally Blonde
- VivianGirl
character in DeadEnd
- Vivian DarkbloomGirl
the alter ego of Alison DiLaurentis in the "Pretty Little Liars" series
- VivianGirl
a Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door character
- Vivian SmithBoy
Smythe,Smith, character from the Monty Python sketch "Upper Class Twit of the Year"
- Daniel Vivian CleaverBoy
character from book/film Bridget Jones Diary