girls' name ★ peaked 1920

Vivian

Meaning alive Gender Girl · 1% boys Rank 2025 #72 Trend ↑ Rising 11%

Early saints' name from Latin Vīviānus, and of its feminine form Vīviāna, probably from vīvus (“alive”).

Rank 2025
#72
among girls · ↑5 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
3,367
named Vivian · +9% vs 2024
How common
1 in 478
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1920
4,200 babies
All-time total
230,755
#176 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Vivian popularity over time

230,755 babies have been named Vivian since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
123418801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 465 82 547 55 – #260
1890s 1,999 124 2,123 212 +288% #162
1900s 4,818 155 4,973 497 +134% #111
1910s 23,634 481 24,115 2,412 +385% #72
1920s 36,572 590 37,162 3,716 +54% #64
1930s 22,932 361 23,293 2,329 -37% #82
1940s 22,913 256 23,169 2,317 -1% #113
1950s 23,554 195 23,749 2,375 +3% #138
1960s 14,010 101 14,111 1,411 -41% #188
1970s 5,001 49 5,050 505 -64% #339
1980s 4,149 57 4,206 421 -17% #481
1990s 8,864 64 8,928 893 +112% #281
2000s 14,690 22 14,712 1,471 +65% #164
2010s 27,231 34 27,265 2,727 +85% #95
2020s (to 2025) 17,340 12 17,352 2,892 +6% #72

Where Vivian is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 3,425 2.13 #70
2027 3,479 2.16 #69
2028 3,525 2.19 #67
2029 3,566 2.22 #64
2030 3,600 2.24 #64

Where Vivian is most popular

Girls named Vivian per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 1.80 per 1,000. Strongest in Maine, Vermont, and Wyoming.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Vivian born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Maine 110 7.11 +294%
Vermont 31 6.40 +255%
Wyoming 26 6.10 +238%
New Hampshire 108 5.85 +224%
South Dakota 83 5.81 +222%
Iowa 291 4.98 +176%
Rhode Island 62 4.95 +175%
North Dakota 63 4.79 +166%
Minnesota 515 4.77 +165%
Nebraska 157 4.37 +142%
Missouri 463 3.84 +113%
Montana 52 3.84 +113%
Massachusetts 449 3.71 +106%
Wisconsin 375 3.64 +102%
Alaska 31 3.60 +100%
Michigan 655 3.60 +99%
Ohio 847 3.57 +98%
Indiana 493 3.51 +95%
Kansas 200 3.47 +92%
Louisiana 298 3.40 +89%
Idaho 106 3.17 +76%
Illinois 716 3.13 +73%
Utah 248 2.98 +65%
District of Columbia 34 2.87 +59%
Delaware 32 2.82 +56%
Kentucky 236 2.76 +53%
Pennsylvania 649 2.74 +52%
Oregon 178 2.73 +52%
Mississippi 127 2.71 +50%
Oklahoma 197 2.68 +48%
Arkansas 138 2.61 +45%
West Virginia 67 2.56 +42%
New Mexico 62 2.55 +41%
Connecticut 146 2.51 +39%
Alabama 233 2.48 +38%
Washington 327 2.26 +25%
Colorado 235 2.11 +17%
Virginia 347 2.04 +13%
Maryland 211 1.99 +10%
North Carolina 452 1.99 +10%
Tennessee 303 1.91 +6%
South Carolina 166 1.85 ≈ national
New York 646 1.63 -10%
Nevada 73 1.57 -13%
Arizona 217 1.55 -14%
Georgia 341 1.50 -17%
Texas 1,151 1.43 -21%
Hawaii 16 1.40 -23%
New Jersey 233 1.29 -28%
Florida 516 1.21 -33%
California 892 1.06 -41%

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Vivian

Vivian is a top-100 name for girls in the United States, ranked #72 in 2025 with 3,362 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 230,755 American babies have been named Vivian. Its peak came in 1920, when 4,200 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Vivian stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Vivian?

The median living Vivian is about 33 years old; half are between 11 and 70. An estimated 131 thousand people named Vivian are alive in the United States today.

median 33 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Vivian year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 3,362 #72 5 #13,778
2024 3,096 #77 – –
2023 2,808 #87 – –
2022 2,674 #104 7 #10,773
2021 2,695 #101 – –
2020 2,705 #101 – –
2019 2,934 #96 – –
2018 2,976 #96 12 #7,103
2017 3,032 #97 – –
2016 3,142 #95 – –
2015 3,204 #95 – –
2014 3,063 #97 5 #13,960
2013 2,651 #120 7 #10,666
2012 2,264 #141 – –
2011 2,022 #153 5 #14,232
2010 1,943 #158 5 #14,147
2009 1,964 #164 7 #10,915
2008 1,639 #206 7 #10,982
2007 1,640 #210 – –
2006 1,536 #224 8 #9,542
2005 1,560 #223 – –
2004 1,425 #231 – –
2003 1,453 #224 – –
2002 1,275 #249 – –
2001 1,020 #312 – –
2000 1,178 #272 – –
1995 867 #317 11 #5,486
1990 553 #447 8 #6,384
1985 408 #498 7 #5,756
1980 409 #498 6 #6,212
1975 423 #453 – –
1970 776 #339 12 #2,888
1965 1,253 #245 9 #2,972
1960 2,022 #188 14 #2,311
1955 2,357 #154 21 #1,724
1950 2,269 #138 12 #2,316
1945 2,168 #118 16 #1,769
1940 2,261 #115 25 #1,365
1935 2,124 #112 31 #1,224
1930 2,872 #91 43 #1,068
1925 3,576 #76 49 #982
1920 4,128 #64 72 #790
1915 2,857 #78 46 #924
1910 801 #107 16 #781
1905 492 #128 15 #635
1900 383 #152 18 #602
1895 216 #183 16 #527
1890 103 #241 7 #877
1885 51 #279 6 #931
1880 22 #351 7 #804

Famous people named Vivian

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Vivian Vance Vivian Vance American actress (1909–1979) Contemporary
  2. 2 Vivian Campbell Vivian Campbell Irish guitarist (born 1962) Contemporary
  3. 3 Vivian Maier Vivian Maier American photographer (1926–2009) Contemporary
  4. 4 Vivian Wu Vivian Wu Chinese actress (born 1966) Contemporary
  5. 5 Vivian Blaine Vivian Blaine American actress and singer (1921–1995) Contemporary
  6. 6 Vivian Woodward Vivian Woodward English footballer (1879-1954) 19th century
  7. 7 Vivian Hsu Vivian Hsu Taiwanese singer and actress b. 1975 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Vivian Cheruiyot Vivian Cheruiyot Kenyan long-distance runner b. 1983 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Vivian Schmitt Pornographic actor, Poland b. 1978 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Vivian, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Vivian?

The median living Vivian is about 33 years old. Half of all living Vivians are between 11 and 70 years old.

How many people named Vivian are alive today?

An estimated 131 thousand people named Vivian are alive in the United States, based on 230,755 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Vivian mean?

Early saints' name from Latin Vīviānus, and of its feminine form Vīviāna, probably from vīvus (“alive”).

How popular is the name Vivian in 2025?

Vivian ranked #72 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 3,362 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Vivian?

230,755 babies have been named Vivian in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Vivian most popular?

Vivian peaked in 1920, when 4,200 newborns received the name.

Is Vivian a boy or girl name?

Vivian is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Vivian rising or falling?

Vivian has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Vivian become more popular?

Vivian is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 3,600 girls named Vivian in 2030, which would rank around #64. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Vivian?

Well-known people named Vivian include Vivian Vance (actor), Vivian Campbell (soccer player), Vivian Maier (photographer).

Names like Vivian

Names that sound and feel close to Vivian: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Vivian with similar names → More names starting with V →