Vivian (and variants such as Vivien and Vivienne) is a

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a ...

, and less often a surname, derived from a Latin name of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...

period, masculine ''

Vivianus Vivianus is a masculine given name which may refer to: * Vivianus (jurist), second century Roman jurist * Flavius Antoninus Messala Vivianus, a Roman politician and consul in 463 * Saint Vivianus (died c. 490), French saint and first known bisho ...

'' and feminine '' Viviana'', which survived into modern use because it is the name of two early Christian female martyrs as well as of a male saint and bishop.

History and variants

The Latin name

is recorded from the 1st century. It is ultimately related to the adjective ''vivus'' "alive", but it is formed from the compound form ''vivi-'' and the adjectival suffix used to form ''

cognomina A ''cognomen'' (; plural ''cognomina''; from ''con-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became here ...

''. The latinate given name Vivianus was of limited popularity in the medieval period in reference to Saint Vivianus, a 5th-century

bishop of Saintes The former French diocese of Saintes existed from the 6th century to the French Revolution. Its bishops had their see in the cathedral of Saintes in western France, in the modern department of Charente-Maritime. After the Concordat of 1801, the ...

; the feminine name was that of Saint Viviana (Bibiana), a 4th-century martyr whose veneration in Rome is ascertained for the 5th century. In

Arthurian legend The Matter of Britain is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. It was one of the three great Wester ...

, Vivian in its various spellings is one of the names of the

Lady of the Lake The Lady of the Lake (french: Dame du Lac, Demoiselle du Lac, cy, Arglwyddes y Llyn, kw, Arloedhes an Lynn, br, Itron al Lenn, it, Dama del Lago) is a name or a title used by several either fairy or fairy-like but human enchantresses in the ...

. The name was brought to England with the Norman invasion, and is occasionally recorded in England in the 12th and 13th centuries. The masculine given name appears with greater frequency in the early modern period. The spelling Vivian was historically used only as a masculine name, and is still used as such in the UK with this spelling, but in the 19th century was also given to girls and was a

unisex name A unisex name (also known as an epicene name, a gender-neutral name or an androgynous name) is a given name that is not gender-specific. Unisex names are common in the English-speaking world, especially in the United States. By contrast, some c ...

until the early part of the 20th century; since the mid 20th century, it has been almost exclusively given as a feminine name in the United States. Use of Vivian as a feminine name peaked in popularity in the United States in 1920 at rank 64, but declined in the second half of the 20th century, falling below rank 500 in the 1980s. Its popularity has again picked up somewhat since the 1990s, as of 2012 having attained rank 140. Variants of the feminine name include Viviana, Viviane, and Vivienne. The French feminine spelling Vivienne in the United States rose sharply in recent years from below rank 1,000 (no statistical record) to rank 322 in the period 2009–2012. The Italian or Latin form ''Viviana'' has enjoyed some popularity since the 1990s, reaching rank 322 in 2000. The spelling Vivien is the French masculine form, but in English speaking countries it has long been used as a feminine form, due to its appearance as the name of the

Arthurian King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...

Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...

's '' Idylls of the King'' of 1859."Vivien" at Behind the Name
/ref> For the masculine name, the variant Vyvyan has sometimes been used, based on the Cornish surname itself derived from the given name. The intermediary form Vyvian is also occasionally found. The Gaelic name

Ninian Ninian is a Christian saint, first mentioned in the 8th century as being an early missionary among the Pictish peoples of what is now Scotland. For this reason he is known as the Apostle to the Southern Picts, and there are numerous dedicatio ...

has sometimes been identified as a corruption of Vivian, but it is now considered more likely derived from Welsh Nynniaw, which is itself of uncertain origin, but likely renders Nennius. Bébinn is an unrelated, genuinely Gaelic name which has on occasion been rendered as Vivian in English.

As a surname

The given name ''Vivian'' was introduced to

Norman England England in the High Middle Ages includes the history of England between the Norman Conquest in 1066 and the death of King John, considered by some to be the last of the Angevin kings of England, in 1216. A disputed succession and victory at the ...

in the 11th or 12th century and over time gave rise to a variety of British surnames, including Videan, Vidgen, Vidgeon, Fiddian, Fidgeon, Phythian, Phethean. The

Vyvyan family : ''For the Vivian family of Glynn and Truro, Cornwall, see Baron Vivian.'' The Vyvyans are a prominent Cornish family who were members of Parliament, baronets, and landowners in Penwith and Kerrier since the 15th century. The Vyvyan family ...

has been a prominent family of Cornwall since the 16th century. The Vyvyan baronetcy was created in the Baronetage of England for Sir Richard Vyvyan in 1645.

Baron Vivian Baron Vivian, of Glynn and of Truro in the County of Cornwall, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and held by a branch of the Vivian family. It was created on 19 August 1841 for the soldier Sir Hussey Vivian, 1st Baronet. He ha ...

was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1841. Notable bearers of the surname include: * C. T. Vivian (1924–2020), American minister and author * Herbert Vivian (1865-1940), British journalist and leader of the

Neo-Jacobite Revival The Neo-Jacobite Revival was a political movement that took place during the 25 years before the First World War in the United Kingdom. The movement was monarchist, and had the specific aim of replacing British parliamentary democracy with a restor ...

Ivor Vivian Ivor Francis Vivian (born 1932) is a former Australian politician. Vivian was born in Newton Abbot, Devon, England in 1932. From 1969 to 1998, he was the foundation principal lecturer in mathematics at the Canberra College of Advanced Education, ...

(born 1933), Australian politician *

Jennifer Vyvyan Jennifer Vyvyan (13 March 1925 – 5 April 1974) was a British classical soprano who had an active international career in operas, concerts, and recitals from 1948 up until her death in 1974. She possessed a beautifully clear, steady voice with ...

(1925-1974) English classical soprano singer * John Lambrick Vivian (1830–1896), genealogist of Devon and Cornwall *

Joseph Vivien Joseph Vivien (1657 – 5 December 1735) was a French painter from Lyon. He left Lyon for Paris at the age of twenty and found employment in the large atelier of Charles Le Brun, the equivalent of an academy. He made his reputation with his por ...

(1657–1735), French painter *

Renée Vivien Renée Vivien (born Pauline Mary Tarn; 11 June 1877 – 18 November 1909) was a British poet who wrote in French, in the style of the Symbolistes and the Parnassiens. A high-profile lesbian in the Paris of the Belle Époque, she is notable for he ...

(1877–1909), British poet in the French language * Weston E. Vivian (1924–2020), American politician * William Vyvyan, 14th-century English MP

List of individuals with the name

Masculine given name

Vivian

* Vivian Anderson (born 1956), English football coach and defender *

Vivian Balakrishnan Vivian Balakrishnan ( ta, விவியன் பாலகிருஷ்ணன்; born 1961) is a Singaporean politician, diplomat and former ophthalmologist who has been serving in the Cabinet as Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2015. A m ...

(born 1961), Singaporean politician *

Vivian Bendall Vivian Walter Hough Bendall (born 14 December 1938) is a British Conservative politician and estate agent. After gaining Ilford North at the 1978 by-election he served as the constituency's Member of Parliament until his defeat in 1997. Bendall ...

(born 1938), English Conservative politician *

Vivian Blake Vivian Blake (11 May 1956 – 21 March 2010) was a Jamaican drug kingpin who founded and operated the American operations of the Jamaican Shower Posse. Background Blake was born to a poor family in West Kingston, but was granted a scholars ...

(1956–2010), Jamaican criminal * Vivian Blake (politician) (1921–2000), Jamaican politician and chief justice of the Bahamas *

Vivian Bose Justice Vivian Bose (also rendered V. V. N. Bose) (9 June 1891 – 29 November 1983), Judge of the Supreme Court of India, served as the National Commissioner of the Bharat Scouts and Guides from November 1957 to November 1959. Scouting for ...

(1891–1983), judge of the Supreme Court of India * Vivian de Buffrénil (born 1950), French histologist and palaeobiologist *

Vivian Campbell Vivian Patrick Campbell (born 25 August 1962) is a Northern Irish guitarist. He came to prominence in the early 1980s as a member of Dio, and has been a member of Def Leppard since 1992 (replacing Steve Clark after his death). Campbell has al ...

(born 1962), Northern Irish heavy metal guitarist * Vivian Cook (linguist) (born 1940), English linguist and professor of Applied Linguistics at Newcastle University * Vivian Crawford (1879–1922), English first-class cricketer *

Vivian Dsena Vivian Dsena (born 28 June 1988) is an Indian television actor known for his portrayal of Abhay Raichand in ''Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahani'', Rishabh Kundra in '' Madhubala - Ek Ishq Ek Junoon'' and Harman Singh in ''Shakti - Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki'' ...

(born 1988), Indian TV actor * Vivian Ellis (1904–1996), English musical comedy composer * Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons (1901–1975), South African herpetologist * Sir Vivian Fuchs (1908–1999), English explorer to first cross Antarctica overland * Vivian Hunter Galbraith (1889–1976), English historian and Regius Professor of Modern History at Oxford University, Oxford * Vivian H. H. Green (1915–2005), rector of Lincoln College, Oxford, and inspiration for John le Carré's character George Smiley * Vivian Harris (born 1978), Guyanese boxer * Vivian Wilson Henderson (1923–1976), American educator and human rights activist * Vivian Imerman (born 1955), South African businessman and former CEO of Del Monte Foods * Vivian Jackson (1946–2010), Jamaican reggae musician also known as Yabby You * Clive Vivian Leopold James (Clive James, 1939–2019), Australian author * Sir Vivian Naylor-Leyland, 3rd Baronet (1924–1987), British aristocrat and banker * Viv Richards (born 1952), Antiguan cricketer and sports commentator * V. R. S. Schokman, Vivian Roy Stanley Schokman (1887-1953), Sri Lankan Burgher people, Burgher politician and physician * Major General Vivian Street (British Army officer), Vivian Street (1912–1970), British army officer, also known for his charitable work, particularly as chairman of the Save the Children fund * Vivian Van Damm (1895–1960), English impresario of the Windmill Theatre, London * Vivian Wineman (born 1950), commercial lawyer, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews 2009–2015 * Vivian Woodward (1879–1954), English centre forward footballer

Vivien

* Vivien Thomas (1910–1985), American surgical technician

Vyvyan

* Vyvyan Adams (1900–1951), British Conservative Party politician * Vyvyan Donnithorne (1886–1968), British Anglican missionary to China * Vyvyan Evans, professor of Linguistics * Vyvyan Evelegh (1898–1958), British Army Second World War major-general * Vyvyan Holland (1886–1967), English author/translator, second son of Oscar Wilde * Vyvyan Holt (1896–1960), British soldier, diplomat, and Oriental scholar * Vyvyan Pope (1891–1941), British Army Second World War lieutenant-general

Vyvian

* Vyvian Pike (born 1969), English cricketer

Stage name or nickname

*"Vivian", a nickname given to Chaim Herzog in the 1940s * Vivian Stanshall, stage name of Victor Anthony Stanshall (1943–1995), English comedic musician * The Vivienne, stage name of James Lee Williams, British drag queen

Feminine given name

Late antiquity

The spelling of these names may differ depending on tradition. *Saint Vibiana (3rd century) *Saint Bibiana, Saint Vivian (4th century)

Vivian

*Vivian Inez Archibald (born 1945), British Virgin Islander politician *Vivian Bang (born 1983), American actress * Vivian Cheruiyot (born 1983), Kenyan long-distance runner * Vivian Chukwuemeka (born 1975), Nigerian shot putter * Vivian Dandridge (1921–1991), American actress * Vivian Flowers (born c. 1969), American politician * Vivian Gornick (born 1935), American author * Vivian Green (born 1979), American R&B singer * Vivi Janiss (1911–1988), American actress * Vivian Joseph (born 1948), American figure skater * Vivian Kong (born 1994), Hong Kong fencer * Vivian Kubrick (born 1960), American-born English filmmaker and composer * Vivian Maier (1926–2009), American photographer * NOURI (artist), Vivian Nouri known professionally as NOURI (born 1993), New Zealand recording artist of Kurdish descent * Vivian Oparah (born 1996), British actress * Vivian Vance (1909–1979), American actress

Vivien

* Vivien Bishop (born 1945), New Zealand painter * Vivien Cardone (born 1993), American actress * Vivien Duffield (born 1946), British philanthropist * Vivien Hailstone (1913–2000), Native American designer and educator * Vivien Kirk, New Zealand mathematician * Vivien Knight (1953–2009), British art historian and gallerist * Vivien Leigh, born Vivian Mary Hartley (1913–1967), English Academy Award-winning actress * Vivien Neves (1947–2002), British glamour model * Vivien Thomas (1910–1985), American laboratory supervisor

Viviane

*Viv Albertine (born 1954), British guitarist, songwriter and author *Viviane Araújo (fighter), Viviane Araújo (born 1986), Brazilian mixed martial artist *Viviane Bampassy, Senegalese politician *Viviane Biviga, Gabonese politician *Vivi Fernandez (born 1977), Brazilian model *Viviane Hagner (born 1977), German violinist *Viviane Ndour, Senegalese singer *Viviane Romance (1912–1991), French actress

Vivianne

*Vivianne Blanlot (born 1956), Chilean economist and politician *Vivianne Crowley, English author, university lecturer, psychologist, and teacher of the Wiccan religion *Vivianne Fock Tave, Seychellois diplomat *Vivianne Miedema (born 1996), Dutch forward footballer *Vivianne Pasmanter (born 1971), Brazilian actress *Sheherazade Goldsmith#Early life, Viviane Ventura, Mother of Sheherazade Goldsmith and author

Vivienne

* Vivienne Boyd (1926–2011), New Zealand politician * Vivienne Binns (born 1940), Australian artist * Vivienne Chandler (born 1947), French actress and photographer * Vivienne Faull (born 1955), British Anglican bishop and Lord Spiritual * Vivienne Goonewardene (1916–1996), Sri Lankan politician * Vivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot, also spelt Vivien (1888–1947), first wife of poet and writer T. S. Eliot * Vivienne Malone-Mayes (1932–1995), American mathematician and professor * Vivienne Medrano (born 1992), Salvadorian American animator, illustrator, comic creator, and voice actress * Vivienne Ming, American theoretical neuroscientist and artificial intelligence expert * Vivienne Osborne (1896–1961), American stage and film actress * Vivienne (photographer) (1889–1982), British photographer and singer * Vivienne Pinay, Filipino-American drag queen * Vivienne Roumani (born 1950), Libyan filmmaker * Vivienne Segal (1897–1992) American actress * Vivienne de Silva Boralessa (1930-2017), Sri Lankan singer * Vivienne Spence (born 1965), Jamaican track and field athlete * Vivienne Trumpy (1917–1975), stage name Vivi Gioi, Italian actress * Vivienne de Watteville (1900–1957), United Kingdom author * Vivienne Westwood (born 1941), English fashion designer

Vyvienne

* Vyvienne Long, Irish musician

Vyvyan

* Vyvyan Lorrayne, South African ballerina

Vyvyane

* Vyvyane Loh, Chinese ''Hui-Shien'', Malaysian-American novelist, choreographer, and physician

Hypocoristic Vivi (used as given name in Scandinavia)

* Vivi Bach (1939–2013), Danish actress and singer * Vivi Flindt (born 1943), Danish ballerina * Vivi Friedman (1967–2012), Finnish film director * Vivi Krogh (born 1919), Norwegian anti-immigration activist

As a pseudonym or adopted name

*Vivian Chow (born 1967), Hong Kong singer and actress *Vivian Hsu (born 1975), Taiwanese singer, actress and model *Vivienne Poy (born 1941), politician *Vivienne Tam (born 1957), Hong Kong fashion designer *Vivean Gray, British TV and film actress (adopted name of Jean Vivra Gray)

Fictional characters

* Vivien, the

, in Tennyson's ''Idylls of the King'' (1859) and elsewhere * Vivian Kudo (Yukiko Kudo), in Manga series ''Case Closed'' * Vivian Grey, hero of Benjamin Disraeli's eponymous first novel, published in 1826 * Vivien de Monbranc, hero of a 12th-century French ''chanson de geste'' * Vivian Alamain, on the American soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'' *Vivien Harmon, one of the main characters in the American TV show ''American Horror Story'' *Vivian Volkoff, daughter of the main antagonist of ''Chuck (TV series), Chucks season four *Vivian Joan Abbot Walker, one of the main characters of the novel ''Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood'' (1996) by Rebecca Wells *Vyvyan Basterd, character in the British comedy series ''The Young Ones (TV series), The Young Ones'' *Vivian Ward, the title character in the film ''Pretty Woman'' (1990) *Vivian Banks, or "Aunt Viv" character in the American comedy series ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' *Vivian Sternwood, General Sternwood's oldest daughter and a key figure in Raymond Chandler's crime novel ''The Big Sleep'' (1939) *Vivian Smith-Smythe-Smith, a character from the Monty Python sketch "Upper Class Twit of the Year" *Vivienne (Dragon Age), Vivienne, a character from the video game ''Dragon Age: Inquisition'' who can be recruited as a party member *Princess Vivian, from the American animated television series ''Sofia the First''; first appeared in ''The Shy Princess'' *Vyvyan Ayrs, a famous but reclusive male composer in David Mitchell's novel ''Cloud Atlas (novel), Cloud Atlas'' (2004) *Vivian (Paper Mario), one of the player's partners in the role-playing video game ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door'' *Vivienne Deering, a character in British police drama ''No Offence'' *Vivian "Viv", a supporting character in Freeform's canceled show ''Siren (TV series), Siren'' *Vivian "Viv" Turner, Timmy Turner's cousin, and the main protagonist in ''The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder''

Notes

{{Given name English feminine given names English-language masculine given names English masculine given names English-language unisex given names English unisex given names