Find out how popular the last name Vivian is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Vivian.

Vivian, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Vivian surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vivian in America

Vivian is the 11719th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vivian surname appeared 2,674 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Vivian.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vivian to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Vivian

The surname Vivian is of French origin, derived from the Latin name Vivianus. It is believed to have originated in the region of Languedoc in southern France during the medieval period.

The name Vivianus is thought to be a derivative of the Latin word "vivus," meaning "alive" or "lively." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon someone with a vibrant or energetic personality.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vivian can be found in the Domesday Book, compiled in 1086 during the reign of William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named Vivian in the county of Somerset, England.

In the 12th century, a notable figure named Vivian de Tongo served as a Benedictine monk and chronicler at the Abbey of St. Peter in Gloucester, England. He is known for his historical writings, including a chronicle of the abbots of Gloucester.

Another prominent individual with the surname Vivian was Sir Robert Vivian (1599-1679), an English nobleman and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Cornwall during the English Civil War era.

In the 18th century, John Vivian (1730-1799), a British mining engineer and industrialist, made significant contributions to the development of the Cornish mining industry. He is credited with introducing several innovations in mining technology.

Robert Vivian (1802-1887), an English lawyer and politician, served as a Member of Parliament for Penryn and Falmouth in Cornwall. He was also a prominent figure in the movement to abolish the slave trade in the British Empire.

Throughout history, the surname Vivian has been associated with various places, including the village of Vivian in Brittany, France, and the town of Vivian, Louisiana, in the United States, which was named after a local landowner.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vivian

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Vivian.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Vivian was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Vivian has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Vivian was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Vivian, please contact us.

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