Total births
228,172
Girls' name · since 1880
Vivian
Vivian has 228,172 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1920 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #77
- among girls today
- 228,172
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 99.6%
- more common than other girls
228,172 babies have been named Vivian since 1880, making it today's #77 girls' name.
Vivian has 228,172 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #77 as of the latest data, more common than 99.6% of girls, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #77 among girls today
- 228,172 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 99.6% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Vivian is currently the #77 girls' name in America, more common than 99.6% of girls - 228,172 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #77
- among girls today
- 228,172
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 99.6%
- more common than other girls
Vivian vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#77
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 99.6% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
16% of everyone ever named Vivian was born in this single decade.
1920
Single peak year
4,128 babies were named Vivian in 1920 - its busiest year on record.
How Vivian compares
228,172 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Vivian's all-time total is 597x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Vivian | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 228,172 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 4,128 | 48 | 19,840 |
Vivian's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Vivian's full recorded timeline at 1953, 47% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 53% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1880, with just 22 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1920 peak of 4,128 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Vivian at a glance
Top 100 girls' namePeak year
1920
Current rank
#77
Active since
1880
Vivian popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1920)
- 4,128
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Vivian popularity over time - boys
2,583 total births recorded since 1880 (Vivian as boys' name)
Vivian by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Vivian's strongest decade.
36,572 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 16% of all-time use.
Vivian births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 465
1880s
465 births
- 1890s 1,999
1890s
1,999 births
- 1900s 4,818
1900s
4,818 births
- 1910s
1910s
23,634 births
- 1920s
1920s
36,572 births
- 1930s
1930s
22,932 births
- 1940s
1940s
22,913 births
- 1950s
1950s
23,554 births
- 1960s 14,010
1960s
14,010 births
- 1970s 5,001
1970s
5,001 births
- 1980s 4,149
1980s
4,149 births
- 1990s 8,864
1990s
8,864 births
- 2000s
2000s
14,690 births
- 2010s
2010s
27,231 births
- 2020s
2020s
17,340 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 36,572 births (16% of all-time use).
How Vivian compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Vivian's total volume
Vivian vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Vivian by state
Where Vivian concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 19,856 | 8.7% |
| #2 | New York | | 17,162 | 7.5% |
| #3 | Texas | | 15,246 | 6.7% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 11,320 | 5.0% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 9,961 | 4.4% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 9,232 | 4.0% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 7,808 | 3.4% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 7,617 | 3.3% |
California share of Vivian's total US births 8.7%
Even split
19,856 of 228,172 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Vivian appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Vivian? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 228,172 babies named Vivian. Today it holds rank #77 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1920, with 4,128 births.
When was Vivian most popular? ▼
Vivian was most popular in the 1920s decade with 36,572 total births. The single peak year was 1920.
Where is Vivian most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Vivian are California (19,856 births), New York (17,162 births), Texas (15,246 births).
How long has the name Vivian been used? ▼
Records for Vivian go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Vivian? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Viviana, Vivienne, Vivien, Vivianna, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Vivian's data
- Vivian's usage has stayed within range of its 1920s decade-level peak (36,572 total births) through the 2020s (17,340) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Vivians (19,856 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Vivian
Nearby Names Like Vivian
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Vivian
Viviana Girl
#369 27,268 births
Vivienne Girl
#184 23,921 births
Vivien Girl
#1709 7,403 births
Vivianna Girl
#1185 4,798 births
Viva Girl
#5970 3,605 births
Compare Vivian side by side: Vivian vs Viviana Vivian vs Vivienne Vivian vs Vivien
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Vivian
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Vivian: #77 Girls' Name - 228,172 Births, Peak 1920." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/vivian. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Vivian draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.