How popular is the baby name Vivienne in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Vivienne.

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Popularity of the baby name Vivienne


Posts that mention the name Vivienne

Baby names needed: “Classy, quirky” names for twins

A reader named Abbie has four children: Leo Sebastian, Henry Edward, Jasper Alaric, and Eliza Vivienne. She recently learned that she is expecting twins (congrats!) and would like some help coming up with baby names–especially boy names. She writes:

Lucy Matilda and Nora Penelope will be the twins’ names if they are both girls.

We like shorter (two to three syllables) names that are classy and old-fashioned but have a hint of eccentricity and quirkiness to them; we want them to be familiar and accepted but still be unusual enough that they’ll be the only one in their classes.

If it helps, our last name starts with Gold and is two syllables.

The very first name to pop into my head? Amory, which I know from This Side of Paradise. This made me think that other names from Fitzgerald books and stories (written during the 1920s and ’30s) might be names Abbie would like. So I flipped through the Fitzgerald books that I own, then flipped through others that I don’t own (thanks to the magnificent Project Gutenberg), and found:

Abe (Abraham)
Albert
Charlie
Chester
Dexter
Duncan
Nelson
Percy
Roscoe
Warren		Daisy
Edith
Honoria
Lorraine
Lucille
Marion
Marjorie
Rosemary
Stella
Violet

I included girl names, but I don’t think Abbie needs any. (I’m guessing that if only one twin is a girl, she’ll be named either Lucy Matilda or Nora Penelope.)

So let’s concentrate on boy names now. Here are some others that seem both old-fashioned and a bit quirky to me:

Alfred
Arthur
Avery
Bernard
Bertram		Cedric
Dexter
Ernest
Felix
Frederick		Lewis
Milo
Nolan
Owen
Philip		Roland
Rupert
Simon
Stuart
Walter

Out of these, I think my favorites (for the sib set Leo, Henry, Jasper and Eliza) would be Owen, Philip, Simon and Stuart.

Which of the names above do you like best? What other names (firsts, middles, or combinations) would you suggest?

Update – The babies have arrived! To see what their genders/names are, either scroll down through the comments or just click here.

Baby name needed: Girl name for Lydia’s sister

A reader named Beth is expecting her second daughter in a few weeks. She writes:

My first is named Lydia and we have a very Polish last name. After what has been an excruciating process, my husband and I have come up with three names we can agree on. He loves Sylvia, as do I, but I wondered if it was too sing-song-y with big sister Lydia. I would probably want to nickname her Sylvie for that reason. We also like Stella, but I think the name is fast becoming the new Ava, Sophia or Ella. Francesca is the wild card-we like it, just not sure if it would fit well enough. What are your thoughts, and if you have any suggestions, they would be welcome!

One thing I noted was Beth’s use of the verbs like and love. She and her husband “like” Stella and Francesca, but they “love” Sylvia. I think that difference is key.

Over and over again I see people return to the name they loved after putting it aside to consider the dozens of names they liked. (As if all the lesser names had to be ruled out before a decision could finally be made.) If Sylvia is the one name Beth and her husband both love, perhaps that fact is more important than anything else…?

But let’s put diction aside for now and look at each name individually.

Is Sylvia too close to Lydia? It has the same length, the same rhythm, the same ending. I think I’d be against the pairing if not for the nickname Sylvie. That knocks off a syllable, alters the rhythm, changes the ending. If Sylvia will be known as Sylvie, well, that might just solve the problem.

I think it’s smart to be wary of Stella. I’m not sure that it has the momentum to become as popular as Sophia or Ava, but you never know.

Ah, Francesca! I’m a big fan of the Fran- names, so I get excited when I learn that someone might be using one. I think Lydia and Francesca fit together quite well. Even better than Lydia and Stella, actually. If this were a beauty contest, I’d probably give Sylvia/Sylvie the tiara, but I’d make Francesca the first runner-up.

I’d hate to make the naming process any more excruciating than it’s already been, but a few name suggestions did come to mind as I was typing:

Callista
Celeste		Isadora
Sabrina		Theresa
Vivienne

Do you have an opinion or suggestion you’d like to share with Beth? Please comment below and/or cast a vote in the poll (sidebar).

Update – The baby has arrived! To see the name Beth chose, either scroll down through the comments or just click here.