VIVIAN male & female English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish From the Latin name Vivianus which was derived from Latin vivus "alive". Saint Vivian was a French bishop who provided protection during the Visigoth invasion of the 5th century. It has been occasionally used as an English (masculine) name since the Middle Ages. In modern times it is also used as a feminine name, in which case it is either an Anglicized form of BÉBINN or a variant of VIVIEN (2). | ||||||||||||||||||||
BéBINN female Irish, Irish Mythology Means "fair lady" in Irish Gaelic. This name was borne by several characters in Irish mythology, including a goddess of childbirth. | ||||||||||||||||||||
VIVIEN (2) female Literature Used by Alfred Lord Tennyson as the name of the Lady of the Lake in his Arthurian epic 'Idylls of the King' (1859). Tennyson may have based it on VIVIENNE, but it possibly arose as a misreading of NINIAN. A famous bearer was British actress Vivien Leigh (1913-1967), who played Scarlett O'Hara in 'Gone with the Wind'. | ||||||||||||||||||||
NYNNIAW male Ancient Celtic Meaning unknown, presumably of Welsh origin. According to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, this was the name of a Welsh prince who fought against the invading forces of Julius Caesar. It was also borne by an 8th-century Welsh historian, usually known by the Latinized form Nennius. | ||||||||||||||||||||
EQUIVALENTS |
ANCIENT ROMAN: Vibiana |
FRENCH: Viviane, Vivianne, Vivienne |
ITALIAN: Bibiana, Viviana |
LATE ROMAN: Bibiana, Viviana |
SPANISH: Bibiana, Viviana |
DIMINUTIVES AND SHORT FORMS |
ENGLISH: Vianne, Viviette |
FINNISH: Viivi |
MASCULINE FORMS |
ANCIENT ROMAN: Vibianus |
ENGLISH: Vivian |
FRENCH: Vivien |
LATE ROMAN: Vivianus |
OTHER FORMS |
ANCIENT ROMAN: Vibius |
DANISH: Vivi, Vivian |
ENGLISH: Vivian, Vivyan |
FRENCH: Viviane |
LITERATURE: Vivien |
NORWEGIAN: Vivi, Vivian |
SWEDISH: Vivi, Vivian |