The name Viveca may bring to mind American actress Vivica Fox, but she wasn’t the woman who put this name it on the map way back in in 1948:
- 1950: 15 baby girls named Viveca
- 1949: 13 baby girls named Viveca
- 1948: 7 baby girls named Viveca [debut]
- 1947: unlisted
- 1946: unlisted
The influence here was Swedish actress Viveca Lindfors — born Elsa Viveca Torstensdotter Lindfors in Uppsala in 1920.
She’d been a film star in Europe since the early ’40s, but didn’t start appearing in movies in the U.S. until 1948.
One of her earliest movies for American audiences was Adventures of Don Juan (1948), in which she played Queen Margaret, the married love interest of Don Juan (played by Errol Flynn).
Viveca (and her name) were featured on the front cover of Life magazine in February of 1949. The blurb describing the cover began:
Viveca (pronounced Viv’eca) Lindfors is 28 years old, has brown hair and blue eyes, loves snow and hates hats, and has a very independent personality.
Her name can be traced back to the German name Wiebke (pronounced VEEB-kuh), the feminine form of Wiebe [VEE-buh]. They’re ultimately based upon the Germanic element wig, meaning “war.”
The spelling Vivica emerged in the data a few years later, and (as you’d expect) saw a big jump in usage in the ’90s, thanks to Vivica Fox.
What are your thoughts on the name Viveca? Which spelling do you prefer?
Sources:
- Oliver, Myrna. “Obituary : Viveca Lindfors; Actress’ Career Spanned 50 Years.” Los Angeles Times 26 Oct. 1995.
- Viveka – Behind the Name
- Viveca Lindfors – Wikipedia
