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Vivian
by alicia_renee
1/27/2011, 9:10 AM
I would like your opinion on the name Vivian. Is it too old-fashioned, or would it be okay on a baby? How would you spell it-Vivian, Vivien, Vivianne, Vivienne? If you like it, can you think of any names to go with it in a combo?
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Replies

- Anneza
1/27/2011, 11:16 PM
- Elena
1/27/2011, 6:40 PM
Vivian is nice, perhaps a tad old-fashioned but there's nothing wrong with that. What I'd be much more likely to use is the French Vivienne which I love (the way it looks, the 'enne' ending which I'd pronounce). I don't think you can go wrong with either. I'm sure you'll get plenty of combos so I won't bother, but I'll say that my stock Vivienne combo is Vivienne Claire which is so sweet (and so French).BTW, I'm not as crazy about the Vivien and especially Vivianne spellings. The former seems masculine to me while the latter doesn't look as proper as Vivian or Vivienne.Also, if you feel Vivian might be too old-fashioned, might you consider Viviana?
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- Alcyone   +1
1/27/2011, 5:58 PM
I think it's lovely and would be fine for a baby. It's similar to names that are popular for little girls these days, such as Lillian and Evelyn. I just hope that it doesn't get too popular.I think I would spell it Vivian, but lately, I've been likely Vivien quite a bit, so I'm not entirely sure which spelling I would use. I like Vivienne a lot too. Vivianne is pretty, but I pronounce it differently than Vivian, Vivien, and Vivienne. I pronounce it viv-ee-ANN.Combos:Vivian Clara
Vivian Fleur
Vivian Flora
Vivian Thora
Vivian Lyra
Vivian Laila
Vivian Leila
Vivian Patience
Vivian Constance
Vivian Celeste
Vivian Camille
Vivian Pauline
Vivian Paulina
Vivian Paula
Vivian Paulette
Vivian Ophelia
Vivian Ophelie
Vivian Gabrielle
Vivian Dawn

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- Tiggs
1/27/2011, 6:55 PM
Vivian Fleur & Vivian Summer jumped out at me......I seem to like Vivian in a nature setting.
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- Ilex (jennifer)   +1
1/27/2011, 4:06 PM
My grandma, who would be 106 if whe were still alive, is Vivian. She's Vivian Marion, but I don't like the rhyming names. I'd go with Vivian Maura.
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- Bear
1/27/2011, 4:17 PM
Vivian Maura is hauntingly beautiful. There are so many aspects of Vivian.
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- Marie (Tawnee)
1/27/2011, 3:29 PM
I think it would be fine on a baby of today. It's not my style, but I'd love to see it on someone else's child. My preferred spelling is Vivien.
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- Mistawis
1/27/2011, 3:11 PM
Vivian works wonderfully on a baby/little one.As far as spelling, well, that depends on pronunciation...I pronounce Vivian and Vivien the same, but I pronounce Vivian/Vivien, Vivianne/Viviane, and Vivienne differently.Vivienne is my favorite Vivi- name, followed by Viviana, then Viviane, and finally Vivian. I love all four, though!I dislike Vivien, Vivianne, and Vivianna.
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- Bear   +1
1/27/2011, 1:33 PM
I adore Vivien, this spelling. Vivian is great too. But ever since I discovered that that is the traditional male spelling I switched my allegiance to traditionally feminine Vivien. Plus, Vivien Leigh was so gorgeous and Vivien reminds me of Arthurian tales (lady of the lake). I like French Vivienne too. But Vivianne feels unnecessarily frilly.Vivien Midori, Petra Vivien and Vivien Eirlys ("EHR-liss") are my stock combos. :-)

This message was edited 1/27/2011, 1:45 PM

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- Tiggs
1/27/2011, 3:56 PM
Vivien Eirlys is lovley...I'm quite drawn to Eirlys, but I find it difficult to pair.ETA: As to the spelling, Vivien just looks a bit "wrong" to me and the spelling Vivian better matches the way I say the name, with the ending sounding like the ending of the name, Ian. I hadn't realized it's traditionally the masculine spelling...I suppose I can cope with that. There are, after all, a number of names we consider feminine today which were traditionally masculine, with spellings that did not change once they were borrowed/adopted/pilfered for feminine usage. For me, today, Vivian would feel out of place on a male.

This message was edited 1/27/2011, 4:04 PM

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- Tiggs   +1
1/27/2011, 12:49 PM
I like Vivian and don't see her as too old-fashioned at all. I doubt anyone who's seen "Pretty Woman" would picture an old lady when they hear the name. I much prefer Vivian and Vivienne, which I pronounce differently. Vivianne, for me, is vivi-ANN.I've never tried to pair her...Vivian Audra
Vivian Flora
Vivian Blythe
Vivian Lucy
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- Bear
1/27/2011, 1:42 PM
Vivian Blythe is deliciously retro. :-)
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- Bear
1/27/2011, 1:41 PM
How versatile Vivien is. She's got the chops to sit next to so many namenerdy mns as if nothing at all was unusual. Vivien Lorelei, Vivien Kateri, Vivien Sarai, Vivien Amadea / Amedea, Vivien Kallisto . . . . wow.
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- alicia_renee
1/27/2011, 1:23 PM
I really like the spelling Vivien too, as it reminds me of the late, great Vivien Leigh. It's funny, but I also thought about Vivien Lorelei, as I really love the name Lorelei. Vivien Zephyrine and Vivien Luna are awesome, too!
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- Tiggs
1/27/2011, 12:53 PM
Luna...compliments Vivien/Vivian so nicely; exactly the sort of first name she ought to be paired with. :)
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- Wordsmith   +3
1/27/2011, 10:18 AM
I really like Vivian, though I'm beginning to prefer it on a male. For females, I love Vivien, Viviane, and Vivienne (in that order).I definitely don't think it's too old-fashioned (though such a quality usually strikes my fancy) -- it has verve and grace, both of which transcend the ages.Vivian Adele
Vivian Agatha
Vivian Aglaia
Vivian Alice
Vivian Althea
Vivian Amabel
Vivian Amalthea
Vivian Amaryllis
Vivian Araminta
Vivian Augusta
Vivian Aurelia
Vivian Aurora
Vivian Beata
Vivian Beatrice
Vivian Beatrix
Vivian Bernarda
Vivian Bertille
Vivian Calpurnia
Vivian Camellia
Vivian Camilla
Vivian Carlotta
Vivian Cecilia
Vivian Cecily
Vivian Charlotta

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- Alcyone
1/27/2011, 6:20 PM
I love Vivian Clarisse. Vivian Laure is a beauty too. You came up with a lot of great combos.
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- Bear
1/27/2011, 1:38 PM
Ursula. Gormlaith. Sieglinde. Myrtle. Hortense (French pronunciation). On and on. I can't tell you how great it is to find at least one other soul on the planet that share my name tastes. Fabuloso list, as always.
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- Tiggs
1/27/2011, 12:50 PM
Oooh! Vivian Laure is a beauty!
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- kd25   +1
1/27/2011, 10:01 AM
I love Vivian! I used to be pretty neutral on it but lately it has really been growing on me. I definitely prefer Vivian over the other spellings but I prefer less frilly names in general. Vivienne would be the only other spelling I would consider. Vivien makes me think "vixen" for some reason. Vivianne just doesn't look right to me and makes the name seem/look trendy. I haven't really though of many combos with Vivian yet as it is new to my list and pretty far down on it still. My first though was Vivian Elise (although I don't particularly care for Elise) or Vivian Estelle, maybe?
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- Bear
1/27/2011, 1:43 PM
Vivien Estelle makes me think of 1950's cocktail parties. Fun!
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- Etoile
1/27/2011, 9:49 AM
I love it! I don't think it's old-fashioned, at least not in a bad way (and you shouldn't care how a name sounds on a baby, because all babies grow up). I prefer Vivianne, Vivienne, and even Viviana and Vivianna for girls, because I like Vivian and Vivien for boys (which is much more old-fashioned).
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- Orsino (bananarama)
1/27/2011, 9:41 AM
It's not old fashioned at all! I love Vivian. I think it's beautiful. I like Vivian and Vivienne the best.
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