Vivian boy/girl?

[Leeloo1233]

I love the name Vivian for a girl. It is strictly a girl's name in Scandinavia, but a boy's name in France.

How about in the UK? Is it more like a uni-sex name like Darcy or definitely a boy's name? What would you think if you'd meet a girl Vivian? The spelling Vivienne is not an option for us due to pronounciation.

Even in The Young Ones in the 80s Vivian was teased by the other characters for having a girls name.

In the young ones it was Vyvyan. Misses point of thread

Would never have known it was unisex... I'd always have assumed girl.

It's unisex but VERY old-fashioned for a boy (shame, because I love it).

Morning all.

Well F and F are off again today but have helpfully made up picnic baskets and flasks.

I'm just going to have a coffee in the garden and watch the kitten bees.

They'll spend their life spelling it for people.
One of my female friends is Vivian.

Clive James started life as Vivian

I went to primary school in the 1970swith a make, French Vivian, and secondary school in the 1980s with a different male Vivian. My time at secondary school completely coincided with Viv Richard’s glory years and the original broadcasts of The Young Ones, so all the Vivian/Vyvyans I’ve know are male. My sister lives in France and her old man neighbour is also Vivian. I realise I’m in the minority, but I’ve never come across a female Vivian/Vivien apart from Ms Leigh.

Spelt Vivian then a boy, but I have come across a girl given the masculine form

Vivienne is definitely a girl

From the sound, it's unisex.

Bit like Leslie and Lesley

It's DS2's middle name (after his granddad). I love it for a boy but was talked out of using it for a first name which I still regret and he's 20!

It is definitely more usually used for girls though.

I know 2 circa 60 year old male Vivians - both known as the blokey 'Viv'
Neither particularly attractive characters but that's besides the point!

Vyvyan?

I only know a couple (both born in the 70s) but they are girls. Both spelt Vivien though and I was at school with a couple of Viviennes.
I think I'd assume any Vivian was a girl unless they had a very French/European surname in which case I'd probably wonder...