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

Vivier, 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 Vivier surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vivier in America

Vivier is the 31873rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vivier surname appeared 724 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Vivier.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vivier 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 Vivier

The surname VIVIER originated in France during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "vivier," which means a fish pond or a pool for keeping live fish. This suggests that the name may have been occupational, referring to someone who worked with fish or managed a fish pond.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries in regions such as Normandy and Brittany. One notable example is the mention of a "Jehan Vivier" in the Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen, a record of the citizens of Rouen, in 1292.

In the 15th century, the name began to appear in other parts of France, indicating the migration of families bearing this surname. For instance, a "Guillaume Vivier" was recorded in the tax rolls of the city of Lyon in 1467.

The surname VIVIER is also associated with several place names in France, such as Vivier-au-Court in Ardennes and Vivier-sur-Mer in Calvados. These place names likely originated from the same root word and may have influenced the surname's development.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname VIVIER was Pierre Vivier, a French composer and organist born in 1670 in Auxerre. He was renowned for his compositions for organ and harpsichord during the Baroque period.

Another notable figure was Claude Vivier, a Canadian composer born in 1948 in Montreal. He was known for his innovative and experimental works that combined elements of traditional and avant-garde music. Tragically, he was murdered in Paris in 1983 at the age of 34.

In the 19th century, Léon Vivier (1807-1867) was a French architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Opéra Comique and the Church of Notre-Dame-de-Clignancourt.

Gustave Vivier (1857-1912) was a French painter and illustrator who specialized in depicting scenes from everyday life in Paris during the Belle Époque era.

More recently, Robert Vivier (1909-1987) was a French actor and filmmaker who appeared in numerous films throughout the mid-20th century, including several collaborations with director Claude Chabrol.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vivier

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

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 Vivier 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 Vivier 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 Vivier was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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