Vivian

jkelly41

I think I love this name....it  meets all of my rules

1.  not common

2.  not made up

3.  classic

4.  feminine

Thoughts?  Middle name suggestions?

NerdyLucy

Vivian is on my short list, so I'm a fan.

ETA: Do you have any family names to use for a middle name?

Rachel

Margaret

Julia

Eleanor

Anneliese

Elaine

Scarlett&Gatsby

I love Vivian! It's a great name. I think you have a lot of MN options. I personally would do something a little quirky with Vivian, like Vivian Daisy, Vivian Lark, Vivian Juniper, Vivian Piper, Vivian Clementine, etc. There are lots of "more expected" options, too, like Vivian Elizabeth or Vivian Grace; I just like something a little different next to an elegant, formal name like Vivian.

jkelly41

We are thinking of using Day as a middle name after the musician Howie Day.  His first album reminds DH and me of the summer we met and fell in love.  We couldn't stop listening to it.

DH isn't sure he likes it but here's my stab at MN

Vivian Day

Vivian May (for both great grandmas)

Vivian Paige

Vivian Jane

VIvian Faith or Hope

WashingtonQueen

I love Vivian! It's on my girl list but the growing popularity is deterring me a bit.

mh89

I like it, I also like the alternate spelling of Vivienne. 

Some MN ideas: Vivian Rose, Vivian Elizabeth, Vivian Katherine, Vivian Estelle, Vivian Miranda, Vivian Hermione... any family names you could use?

macska3

I like it!

Like PP, I like Vivienne as well.

Vivian June

Vivian Rosalie

Vivian Candace

Vivian Elinor

Vivian Justine

saralu82

Love Vivian! I have a friend you named her little girl Vivian and they call her Vivi... so pretty!  I'm not sure on a middle name though.  If we ever have a girl I want her middle name to be Joy. I think it goes with most names and is just so beautiful.

CowgirlK39

This was my grandmas name. She was an amazing lady who died at the age of 95. My dad told me that she was often harassed as a child (circa 1915) because her name was common in the black communities and that just wasnt right back then. Obviously that's not an issue these days. I think that's great that you like that name and am all for it!

LC122

I liked this name as well but how are you definining your first criterion?
It has been in the top 200 (but not top 100, but increasing in popularity) for the past 4 years, according to the SSA.
A toddler named "Vivi"/Vivian regularly attends our story time and it has kind of killed the name for me. Maybe it was her mother's voice calling after her all the time.

mh89

Shantxtell said:

I adore Vivian. H vetoed but I would have gone with Leigh.

Vivian Leigh is a famous actress, I wouldn't use that middle name unless I was specifically honoring her. Even then, though...

mrssmcd

It's a beautiful name.  It's getting really popular where I live though.  (I'm in a town where most kids have classic names), so I know a few Vivians.

mh89

Joy2611 said:

mh89 said:

I like it, I also like the alternate spelling of Vivienne. 

Some MN ideas: Vivian Rose, Vivian Elizabeth, Vivian Katherine, Vivian Estelle, Vivian Miranda, Vivian Hermione... any family names you could use?

Vivienne is NOT an alternate spelling of Vivian.  It has a different pronunciation.


Really? I've known multiple Vivians and Viviennes and they all pronounced it the same way. How should each be pronounced?

FakeFinn

I really like it! I love your suggestion of Vivian Day!

laurendom

mh89 said:

mh89 said:

I like it, I also like the alternate spelling of Vivienne. 

Some MN ideas: Vivian Rose, Vivian Elizabeth, Vivian Katherine, Vivian Estelle, Vivian Miranda, Vivian Hermione... any family names you could use?

Vivienne is NOT an alternate spelling of Vivian.  It has a different pronunciation.

Really? I've known multiple Vivians and Viviennes and they all pronounced it the same way. How should each be pronounced?

While Joy is right that they have different pronunciations, they are still derived from the same name.  Vivian is actually a male spelling, as it was originally a male name of a saint and Vivien is the female variation of the name. The enne variation is French and is actually only 2 syllables vs the 3 most tend to pronounce for the former two.  All are correct spellings and all derive from the same name, but all are not pronounced the same.

While I pronounce them all differently, I like all the variations. I find the ien and enne variations sound softer because the emphasis is on the end and not the VIV.  I am considering the enne variation for a MN. 

Scarlett&Gatsby

mh89 said:

Shantxtell said:

I adore Vivian. H vetoed but I would have gone with Leigh.

Vivian Leigh is a famous actress, I wouldn't use that middle name unless I was specifically honoring her. Even then, though...

Vivien Leigh was really talented, but a tragic person. She suffered from untreated bipolar disorder, and it caused an awful strain in her marriage to Lawrence Olivier. Both of them cheated on each other repeatedly and eventually divorced. It's been said that her celebrated portrayal of the unstable and crumbling Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire was so vivid because she was playing herself. So...not someone whose name I would use, even though her talent was admirable. As a name-related aside, she was born Vivian but changed the spelling to Vivien at the insistence of her agent, who said it looked more stylish with Leigh. Vivien IS a legit spelling, though, used possibly as a translation error in an Alfred Lord Tennyson poem.

Scarlett&Gatsby

mh89 said:

mh89 said:

I like it, I also like the alternate spelling of Vivienne. 

Some MN ideas: Vivian Rose, Vivian Elizabeth, Vivian Katherine, Vivian Estelle, Vivian Miranda, Vivian Hermione... any family names you could use?

Vivienne is NOT an alternate spelling of Vivian.  It has a different pronunciation.

Really? I've known multiple Vivians and Viviennes and they all pronounced it the same way. How should each be pronounced?

Vivian/Vivien =/VIV-ee-un/ . Vivienne = /viv-ee-EHN/ . Vivienne is the French variant with a different stress in the pronunciation, and unless you're French or have strong French heritage, it looks like you're trying too hard. Vivian is elegant and feminine enough.

diamondduck13

Love Vivian, great choice. I much prefer this simpler spelling.