Viviane
A feminine French diminutive of Vivian meaning "lively" or "vigorous".
Name Census estimates that about 831 living Americans carry the first name Viviane. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Viviane today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Viviane births was 2009 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Viviane. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Viviane with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
831
~ 1 in 412,460 Americans
Peak year
2009
32 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,538
Tracked since 1919
Census
Viviane in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,578 people with the first name Viviane, which placed it at #6,257 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#6,257
National first-name rank
People counted
2.6K
2,578 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.9
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
59.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Viviane
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Viviane is White at 59.8%. The next largest groups are Black (18.4%) and Hispanic (11.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Viviane described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Viviane at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.8% · 1,541
- Black or African American18.4% · 474
- Hispanic or Latino11.4% · 295
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.3% · 163
- Two or more races3.7% · 96
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Popularity
Viviane: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Viviane from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 220 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Viviane remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Viviane 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 Viviane during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vivianes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Viviane, while New York, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 24 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Viviane
The name Viviane has its origins in the Latin language and can be traced back to the Roman era. It is believed to be derived from the Latin word "vivus," which means "alive" or "lively." The name may have been used as a descriptor for someone who was full of life and energy.
During the Middle Ages, the name Viviane gained popularity across Europe, particularly in France and England. It was often associated with the Arthurian legend, where a character named Viviane, also known as the Lady of the Lake, played a significant role in the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Viviane can be found in the 12th-century French romance "Lancelot-Grail," also known as the Vulgate Cycle. In this work, Viviane is depicted as a powerful enchantress who aids Merlin and later imprisons him in a tree or a cave, depending on the version of the story.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Viviane. One of the earliest was Viviane de Fors (c. 1205-1275), a French noblewoman and heiress who played a significant role in the political affairs of her time. Another notable figure was Viviane de Calmont (c. 1380-1460), a French poet and patron of the arts during the Renaissance period.
In more recent times, the name Viviane has been carried by several influential women. Viviane Forrester (1925-2023) was a French writer, philosopher, and essayist known for her works on social and political issues. Viviane Reding (born 1951) is a Luxembourgish politician who served as the European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights, and Citizenship from 2010 to 2014.
Another notable figure was Viviane Gauthier (1918-2017), a French resistance fighter during World War II who played a crucial role in the liberation of France. She was awarded the prestigious Croix de Guerre for her bravery and service.
The name Viviane has also been associated with the arts and literature. Viviane Sassen (born 1972) is a Dutch photographer and artist known for her striking and unconventional portraits. Viviane Candas (born 1969) is a French writer and journalist who has authored several novels and non-fiction works.
While the name Viviane has maintained a presence throughout history, its popularity has fluctuated over time. Nonetheless, it remains a name that evokes a sense of vibrancy, energy, and a connection to the rich cultural heritage of the past.
People
Viviane + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Viviane 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
Viviane: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Viviane?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 831 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Viviane 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 412,460 US residents.
Is Viviane a common name?
We classify Viviane as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 988 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Viviane most popular?
The single biggest year for Viviane was 2009, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Viviane is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Viviane in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,578 people with the name Viviane, or 0.85 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #6,257 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Viviane in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Viviane?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Viviane appears almost entirely female. Of the 2,575 people counted with this name, 99.9% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Viviane?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Viviane is White at 59.8%. The next largest groups are Black (18.4%) and Hispanic (11.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Viviane most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Viviane in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.8% (1,541 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Viviane in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Viviane a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Viviane 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.
Is Viviane still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Viviane in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Viviane can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people have the name Viviane?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.