Vivian comes from the Latin Vivianus, from vivus, and means "alive" or "lively". In Arthurian legend Vivian is the Lady of the Lake, and the name belonged to actress Vivien Leigh of Gone with the Wind, which gave it Hollywood polish. Vivian ranked number 272 in the United States in 2000, sat just inside or outside the top 100 for a decade and has risen since 2022 to number 72 among girls in 2025, its best rank in this century.