In vital statistics, certain first names soar and then disappear almost completely. This pretty male first name, given to nearly 700 babies in France in the mid-1980s according to data from theINSEEwas only attributed to approximately
10 births in 2025. In forty years, it has gone from the rank of discreet classic to that of an ultra rare treasure in French maternity wards.
This first name is Vivien. INSEE records a peak around 1986 with around 665 babies named this way, and the 1980s alone account for 43% of all Viviens born since 1900. In other words, this first name is worn today mainly by men aged 35 to 45, which reinforces its retro flavor for young parents.
Vivien: hundreds of babies in 1986, almost none today
According to the INSEE first name file series, consulted by several specialized sites, around 665 boys received the first name Vivien in 1986, a record year. The 1980s alone account for 43% of births bearing this first name since 1900. Then the curve dropped: 25 babies in 2020, 20 in 2021, 15 in 2022 and 2023, only 10 in 2024 then another 10 in 2025.
For very small numbers, INSEE points out that these figures are rounded to the multiple of five, which above all gives an order of magnitude. But the message is clear: Vivien has become a very rare first name. In a kindergarten class in 2025, it is possible that no child will have this first name, when almost every playground had several in the 1980s.
Why was the first name Vivien erased from the lists?
INSEE data shows that Vivien was mainly chosen in a short window, which makes it a true marker of the era. When almost half of the bearers were born in the 80s, the first name ended up being perceived as that of a specific generation, then abandoned in favor of new things.
An INSEE study on the diversification of first names in France also describes a much more fragmented landscape than forty years ago, with many more different first names given each year. In this context, first names already associated with a generation, like Vivien, are easily supplanted by a multitude of more recent choices or perceived as more international.
Origin, saints and figures who bear the first name Vivien
Vivien comes from the Latin name Vivianusbuilt around the roots “vivus” and “vivere” which refer to “alive” and “to live”. In ancient Rome, this name sometimes designated people of high rank before spreading in the Christian West. The Catholic site Nominis mentions a Saint Vivien martyred around 320 in Cappadocia and a bishop of Saintes in the 5th century, celebrated on March 10.
Its feminine variants Viviane or Vivienne recall the Arthurian legends, where Viviane watches over Merlin, while Vivien Leigh popularized the first name in the cinema with Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind.