Girls' name · peaked in 1920
Vivian name popularity since 1925
179,027 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Vivian (99.2% girls, 0.8% boys). Half of them were born in 1961 or earlier, so the typical Vivian is about 65 years old in 2026. Vivian peaked in 1920 as the #64 name for girls, and it ranked #72 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 179,027
- Named Vivian, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1920
- #64 for girls that year
- In 2025
- #72
- for girls in 2025 (3,362 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.2% girls
- 177,611 girls · 1,416 boys
- Most popular in
- South Carolina
- 1.59× its national share
Peak year is the year Vivian made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Vivian births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 1925. Measured as a share of all babies, Vivian peaked earlier, in 1920.
- Steepest fall: Between 1967 and 1972, Vivian's share of baby girls fell by 42%, from 1 in 1,560 to 1 in 2,670.
- Fastest rise: Between 1988 and 1993, it became 2.1× more common, from 1 in 4,160 baby girls to 1 in 1,940.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Vivian's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Vivian.
Decade by decade
Babies named Vivian in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 16,927 | 265 | – |
| 1930s | 22,932 | 361 | #112 |
| 1940s | 22,913 | 256 | #118 |
| 1950s | 23,554 | 195 | #154 |
| 1960s | 14,010 | 101 | #245 |
| 1970s | 5,001 | 49 | #453 |
| 1980s | 4,149 | 57 | #498 |
| 1990s | 8,864 | 64 | #317 |
| 2000s | 14,690 | 22 | #223 |
| 2010s | 27,231 | 34 | #95 |
| 2020–25 | 17,340 | 12 | #72 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
24.1% of babies named Vivian from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Silent Generation years (1928–1945). The full split by generation:
Where Vivian is most popular
The index compares Vivian's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Vivian.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 1.59× | 3,959 |
| District of Columbia | 1.42× | 1,159 |
| Alabama | 1.36× | 4,260 |
| North Carolina | 1.32× | 6,657 |
| Virginia | 1.32× | 5,286 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Vivian and were given to at least 1,000 girls from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Girls | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Vivian (this page) | 177,611 | 1920 |
| Vivien | 6,320 | 1911 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Vivian's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Vivian.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Vivian (1920).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data