How to say it
viv · i · ENNE
/ˌvɪv.iˈɛn/
Feminine
Vivienne
Alive, lively
What it means
French form of Vivian, from Latin vivus ('alive'). The Arthurian sorceress Vivien (sometimes Nimue or Niniane) who enchanted Merlin is the literary anchor.
Vivienne is the French form of Vivian, from the Latin vivus ('alive'). In Arthurian legend Vivien (sometimes Nimue, sometimes Niniane) is the sorceress who learns Merlin's magic and traps him in an enchanted sleep. Tennyson's Idylls of the King (1859) used the Vivien spelling. Vivienne Westwood (1941-2022), the British fashion designer whose punk-inflected designs reshaped late-20th-century style, gave the name a definitive modern anchor. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie naming their daughter Vivienne (2008) sparked the recent surge. It's been in the US top 300 since 2014. Viv is the standard short.
Popularity over time
peaked at #172 in 2025, currently #172 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pronunciation
VIV-ee-EN, three syllables with the stress on the last. The French Vivienne is closer to vee-vee-EN.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Vivienne Westwood British fashion designer, punk-rock and avant-garde, 1941-2022
- Vivienne Jolie-Pitt Daughter of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, born 2008
Spelling variants
- Vivian
- Vivien
- Viviana
Names with the same feeling
See Vivienne from another angle
By meaning
By style