Vivian

//ˈvɪvi.ən// name

name ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A male given name from Latin.

    "Of the you're-going-to-get-it-anyway faction was a young Australian on board by the name, so help me, of Vivian Nankervis. - - - And he was beautiful, even with a name like Vivian; moreover, he had never been ill a day in his life."

  2. 2
    A female given name from Latin.

    "'What's your name?' 'Vivian.' 'Isn't that one of the names that mean something?' She said, 'It means my mother used to go to the movies.'"

  3. 3
    A surname originating as a patronymic.

    ""Mr. Grey," asked her ladyship, "are you of Dorsetshire?" "My mother is a Dorsetshire woman; her family name is Vivian, which name I also bear - Sir Hargrave Vivian, of Chester Grange.""

Example

More examples

"Vivian Ward turns the tables on some Rodeo Drive saleswomen in the movie "Pretty Woman.""

Etymology

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

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.