Vivian
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "lively" or "vigorous".
Name Census estimates that about 115,638 living Americans carry the first name Vivian. It sits at #77 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. It is a predominantly female name (98.9% of registrations). The average person named Vivian today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vivian births was 1920 (4,200 babies). In terms of living bearers, it sits close to Jake (115,262).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vivian. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Although Vivian is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 2,578 boys registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
116K
~ 1 in 2,964 Americans
Peak year
1920
4,200 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2022 SSA rank
#77
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Vivian
Vivian leans heavily female at 98.9% of total registrations, but 2,578 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Vivian as a male name
- Ranked #10,770 in 2022
- 7 male births in 2022
- Peak: 1919 (73 births)
Vivian as a female name
- Ranked #77 in 2024
- 3,088 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1920 (4,128 births)
Popularity
Vivian: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vivian from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 37,162 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Vivian remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vivian by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Vivian during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vivians live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Vivian, while Alaska, Delaware, Wyoming recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 4,225 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Vivian
The name Vivian has its origins in the Latin language and dates back to ancient Roman times. It is derived from the Latin name Vivianus, which in turn comes from the Latin word "vivus" meaning "alive" or "lively." The name was initially given as a surname to families associated with the concept of liveliness or vigor.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Vivian as a given name can be found in the 5th century AD, when it was borne by a Gallo-Roman aristocrat named Vivianus who served as a consul in the Western Roman Empire. In the Middle Ages, the name Vivian gained popularity as a masculine name in various parts of Europe, particularly in France and England.
One notable historical figure with the name Vivian was Vivian of Foro-Corneliense, a 5th-century bishop and saint from modern-day Italy. Another was Vivian of Gaul, a 5th-century hermit and saint who lived in what is now France. In the 12th century, there was Vivian, a French cardinal and theologian who played a significant role in the Third Crusade.
During the Renaissance period, the name Vivian began to be used as a feminine name as well. One of the earliest recorded examples of a woman named Vivian was Viviana Calchi, an Italian painter and engraver who lived in the 16th century. In the 17th century, there was Viviana Guzman, a Spanish actress and dancer who performed in the court of King Philip IV.
In literature, the name Vivian has been used for both male and female characters. One notable example is Vivian, a character in Edmund Spenser's epic poem "The Faerie Queene," published in the late 16th century. Another is Vivian, a female character in the Arthurian legends, who is often depicted as the Lady of the Lake or a powerful enchantress.
Some other famous individuals with the name Vivian throughout history include Vivian Fuchs (1908-1999), an English explorer and geologist who led the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition; Vivian Leigh (1913-1967), an English actress who won two Academy Awards for her performances in "Gone with the Wind" and "A Streetcar Named Desire"; and Vivian Vance (1909-1979), an American actress best known for her role as Ethel Mertz on the sitcom "I Love Lucy."
Notable bearers
Famous people named Vivian
People
Vivian + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vivian as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Vivian: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vivian?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 115,638 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vivian going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,964 US residents.
Is Vivian a common name?
We classify Vivian as "Common". It ranks above 99.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 227,375 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vivian most popular?
The single biggest year for Vivian was 1920, when 4,200 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vivian is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Vivian a female name?
Yes, 98.9% of people registered as Vivian in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.