Vivienne
Encyclopedia
Vivienne is a common female first name derived from the Latin vivus, meaning "alive." A common alternate spelling is Vivian, which at one time was used mainly for males but is now also commonly used for females. Saint Vivian was a fifth century French saint and bishop who defended his country against the invasion of the Visigoths.
The spelling Vivienne has not ranked on the list of most popular names in the United States
in recent years, but the spelling Vivian was the 210th most popular name for girls born in the United States in 2007.
Vivienne is one name given for the Lady of the Lake
in Arthurian legend.
The spelling Vivienne has not ranked on the list of most popular names in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in recent years, but the spelling Vivian was the 210th most popular name for girls born in the United States in 2007.
Vivienne is one name given for the Lady of the Lake
Lady of the Lake
The Lady of the Lake is the name of several related characters who play parts in the Arthurian legend. These characters' roles include giving King Arthur his sword Excalibur, enchanting Merlin, and raising Lancelot after the death of his father...
in Arthurian legend.
Female variants
- Bébhinn (IrishIrish languageIrish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
) - Bébhionn (IrishIrish languageIrish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
) - Bébinn (IrishIrish languageIrish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
) - Béibhinn (IrishIrish languageIrish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
) - Bevin (IrishIrish languageIrish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
) - Bibiana (GalicianGalician languageGalician is a language of the Western Ibero-Romance branch, spoken in Galicia, an autonomous community located in northwestern Spain, where it is co-official with Castilian Spanish, as well as in border zones of the neighbouring territories of Asturias and Castile and León.Modern Galician and...
), (ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
), (SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
) - Vianne (EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
) - Viivi (FinnishFinnish languageFinnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
) - Vivian (EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
), (EstonianEstonian languageEstonian is the official language of Estonia, spoken by about 1.1 million people in Estonia and tens of thousands in various émigré communities...
) - Viviana (GalicianGalician languageGalician is a language of the Western Ibero-Romance branch, spoken in Galicia, an autonomous community located in northwestern Spain, where it is co-official with Castilian Spanish, as well as in border zones of the neighbouring territories of Asturias and Castile and León.Modern Galician and...
), (ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
), (SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
) - Vivianna (SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
), (GalicianGalician languageGalician is a language of the Western Ibero-Romance branch, spoken in Galicia, an autonomous community located in northwestern Spain, where it is co-official with Castilian Spanish, as well as in border zones of the neighbouring territories of Asturias and Castile and León.Modern Galician and...
), (ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
), - Viviane (PortuguesePortuguese languagePortuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
) - Vivianne (FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
) - Vivien (EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
) - Viviette (EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
) - Vivyan (EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
) - Vivienne (Latin)
People with the name Vivienne
- Vivienne BoydVivienne BoydDame Vivienne Myra Boyd, née Lowe was knighted as DBE in 1986 for her service in New Zealand community and public affairs, included being president of the National Council of Women , a member and later chair of the Consumer Council and chair of the Abortion Supervisory Committee .She had active...
, New Zealand politician - Vivienne ChandlerVivienne ChandlerVivienne Chandler is a retired French actress who became a professional photographer following her acting career.-Biography:She made her first appearance on TV in ITV Playhouse in 1970 but she immediately began acting minor parts in a number of major early 1970s films including Lust for a Vampire,...
, French actress and photographer - Vivienne de WattevilleVivienne de WattevilleVivienne de Watteville was a British writer and adventurer. Through 1923-24, she and her father, Bernard de Watteville, started a safari trip through Kenya, Uganda and the Belgian Congo, hunting for trophies for the natural history museum in Berne, Switzerland, without the help of a professional...
, United Kingdom author - Vivienne DickVivienne DickVivienne Dick is an Irish experimental and documentary filmmaker.She was born in Dublin but moved to the United States in the 1970s. In the U.S., Dick became active in No Wave film culture and produced a series of Super8 short films. Many of her films were staged around well-known New York City...
, Irish filmmaker - Vivienne GarrettVivienne GarrettVivienne Garrett is an Australian-based theatre and television actor. She was born in Sydney and now lives in Perth. Garrett graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1970....
, Australian actor - Vivienne GoonewardenaVivienne GoonewardenaViolet Vivienne Goonewardena was a Sri Lankan pioneer socialist and feminist. Her life and politics were shaped by the most interesting times of the Sri Lankan Left and she was in turn one of its more colourful personalities.-Political beginnings:Goonewardena was drawn into politics while still...
, Sri Lankan politician - Vivienne JohnsonVivienne JohnsonVivienne Johnson is an English actress who is best known for playing the personal nurse to Young Mr. Grace in the British sitcom Are You Being Served?....
, English actress - Vivienne PoyVivienne PoyVivienne Poy was appointed to the Senate of Canada in 1998. Poy came to Canada as a university student in 1959. She is the first Canadian senator of Asian ancestry. She graduated from St...
, Canadian politician - Vivienne SegalVivienne SegalVivienne Sonia Segal was an American actress and singer.Segal was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is best remembered for creating the role of Vera Simpson in Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's Pal Joey and introduced the song "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered"...
, American actress - Vivienne SpenceVivienne SpenceVivienne Spence-Gardner is a retired female sprinter from Jamaica, who mainly competed in the women's 100 metres during her career. She is a one-time Olympian, making her only appearance in 1988 . Spence set her personal best in 1988.-Achievements:-References:*...
, Jamaican track and field athlete - Vivienne TamVivienne TamVivienne Tam is a fashion designer based in New York City. She was born in Guangzhou, China and moved to Hong Kong at the age of three. She attended Hong Kong Polytechnic University....
, Hong Kong fashion designer - Vivienne WestwoodVivienne WestwoodDame Vivienne Westwood, DBE, RDI is a British fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream.-Early life:...
, English fashion designer
Well-known people with the name Vivian
- Vivian BalakrishnanVivian BalakrishnanVivian Balakrishnan is a politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he is currently the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources....
(born 1961), SingaporeanSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
politician - Vivian BlakeVivian BlakeVivian Blake was a Jamaican drug kingpin who founded and operated the American operations of the Jamaican Shower Posse....
(1956-2010), Jamaican criminal - Vivian CampbellVivian CampbellVivian Patrick Campbell is a Northern Irish rock guitarist who is a member of Def Leppard and was, from May 2010 to November 2011, a member of Thin Lizzy. Prior to joining Def Leppard in April 1992, he had been a member of Whitesnake, Sweet Savage, Trinity, Riverdogs, and Shadow King...
(born 1962), Northern Irish heavy metal guitarist - Vivian ChowVivian ChowVivian Chow is a Hong Kong based Cantopop singer and actress. She is well known for her ladylike stage image as well as her charity works for animal rights and breast cancer awareness....
(born 1967), Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
singer and actress - Vivian DandridgeVivian DandridgeVivian Alferetta Dandridge was a singer and actress. She is best known as the sister of actress Dorothy Dandridge and the daughter of character actress Ruby Dandridge...
(1921–1991), AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress - Vivian GreenVivian GreenVivian Green is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter and pianist.-Early life:Green was born May 22, 1979 in the East Oak Lane neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and took an interest in singing, playing the piano, and songwriting at a very young age. At the age of thirteen, she...
(born 1980), American R&B singer - Vivian HarrisVivian Harris"Vicious" Vivian Harris is a Guyanese professional boxer who was born in Georgetown, Guyana and now resides in Brooklyn, New York...
(born 1978), Guyanese boxer - Vivian HsuVivian HsuVivian Hsu is a Taiwanese singer, actress, and model who has gained remarkable popularity in East Asia, mainly in Taiwan and Japan.Hsu rose to prominence in Japan, where she made her first appearance in 1995 and has become a highly-recognized celebrity with her countless appearances in media...
(born 1975), TaiwaneseTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
singer, actress and model - Vivian JosephVivian JosephVivian Joseph is a female American figure skater.-Skating career:Vivian and her older brother Ronald Joseph began skating together as children, attended Highland Park High School, and competed for the Broadmoor Skating Club of Colorado.The two siblings entered their first regional competition, the...
(born 1948), American figure skater - Vivian Richards (born 1952), AntiguanAntiguanAntiguan may refer to:* Something of, or related to Antigua. See also the country, Antigua and Barbuda.* A person from Antigua, or of Antiguan descent. For information about the Antiguan people, see Demographics of Antigua and Barbuda and Culture of Antigua and Barbuda. For specific Antiguans, see...
cricketer and sports commentator known as VivVIVVIV may refer to:, the NYSE stock symbol for Vivo Participacoes.* Vortex induced vibration* Viv Richards, former cricketer* Vivarium* .viv, the filename extension of Vivo video files* 2558 Viv, a main belt asteroid... - Vivian StanshallVivian StanshallVivian Stanshall was an English singer-songwriter, painter, musician, author, poet and wit, best known for his work with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, for his surreal exploration of the British upper classes in Sir Henry at Rawlinson End, and for narrating Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells.-The great...
(1943–1995), EnglishEnglish peopleThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
comedic musician - Vivian VanceVivian VanceVivian Roberta Jones was an American television and theater actress and singer. Often referred to as “TV’s most beloved second banana,” she is best known for her role as Ethel Mertz, sidekick to Lucille Ball on the American television sitcom I Love Lucy, and as Vivian Bagley on The Lucy...
(1909–1979), American actress - Saint Vivian, known as Saint BibianaSaint BibianaThe earliest mention in an authentic historical authority of Saint Bibiana , a Roman Virgin and Martyr, occurs in the "Liber Pontificalis,", where, in the biography of Pope Simplicius , it is stated that this pope "consecrated a basilica of the holy martyr Bibiana, which contained her body, near...
(fl. 4th century), RomanAncient RomeAncient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
martyr
Well-known people with spelling variants
- Vivien LeighVivien LeighVivien Leigh, Lady Olivier was an English actress. She won the Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire , a role she also played on stage in London's West End, as well as for her portrayal of the southern belle Scarlett O'Hara, alongside Clark...
, born Vivian Mary Hartley, (1913–1967), English Academy Award-winning actress - Vyvyan HollandVyvyan HollandVyvyan Holland, OBE , born Vyvyan Oscar Beresford Wilde in London, was a British author and translator. He was the second son of Oscar Wilde and Constance Lloyd, after his brother Cyril.-Biography:...
, born Vyvyan Oscar Beresford Wilde, (1886–1967) English author/translator, second son of Oscar WildeOscar WildeOscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
and Constance LloydConstance LloydConstance Wilde , born Constance Mary Lloyd, was the wife of Irish playwright Oscar Wilde and the mother of his two sons, Cyril and Vyvyan. The daughter of Horace Lloyd, an Irish barrister, and Adelaide Atkinson Lloyd, she married Wilde on May 29, 1884, and had both her sons within the next two years...
Fictional
- Vivian Alamain KiriakisVivian AlamainVivian Alamain is a fictional character on the NBC Soap Opera, Days of our Lives, head of the series' Alamain family. Created by writer Richard J. Allen, the role was originated in 1992 by actor Louise Sorel. In 2000, Sorel departed from the series and the role was not recast with another actress...
, a character on the American soap opera Days of our LivesDays of our LivesDays of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around... - Vivien Harmon, one of the main characters in the American TV show, American Horror StoryAmerican Horror StoryAmerican Horror Story is a horror-drama television series created and produced by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. The series centers on the Harmon family: Ben, Vivien and their daughter Violet, who move from Boston to Los Angeles after Vivien has a miscarriage and Ben has an affair...
- Vivian Volkoff, daughter of the main antagonist of ChuckChuck-Engineering:* Chuck , a clamp that is part of a machine tool or power tool and securely holds a removable part, either a workpiece or a tool -People:* Charles, a masculine given name...
's season four.