My husband and I have been toying with the name [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] for a girl.
Our names are [name_m]William[/name_m] and [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f], and we go by [name_m]Will[/name_m] and [name_f]Maddy[/name_f]. My husband has a classic, one-syllable British surname. We love [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] because both the full form and the nickname [name_f]Vivi[/name_f] fit very well with our names.
[name_u]Vivian[/name_u] is also the name of my husband’s great-uncle (the name was mostly masculine in the UK during the 20th century), who he always looked up to.
We both have two middle names, so we were thinking of doing the same thing for our daughter using our mothers’ names, [name_f]Rachel[/name_f] and [name_f]Christiane[/name_f]. Does [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] [name_f]Rachel[/name_f] [name_f]Christiane[/name_f] flow well?
One thing that I’m not sure about is the spelling. I like that [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] is straightforward to spell and pronounce, but half my husband’s family is in [name_f]France[/name_f] and we plan on teaching her [name_m]French[/name_m], so we were also considering [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f].
I love the pronunciation and spelling, but am worried English speakers will mispronounce it. I also like that we would both have [name_m]French[/name_m] names — [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f] and [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] look right together, while [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f] and [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] looks a little off.
I also feel that [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] fits a wider variety of personalities and appearances, whereas I think you’d have to be pretty beautiful and charming to pull off [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f], haha.
Let me just say I adore your name and the spelling [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f]. I’m a big fan of traditional spellings in most cases. There are exceptions. I considered [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f] at one point and went back and forth between [name_f]Madeline[/name_f] and [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f]. I love [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f] [name_m]French[/name_m] spelling. It elevates the name totally. And I gotta go with [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f]! Your little one will absolutely pull it off. Again it looks more beautiful then [name_u]Vivian[/name_u].
Did you have trouble with your own name?
I think [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] [name_f]Rachel[/name_f] [name_f]Christianne[/name_f] has a beautiful flow and mix of tones that make it work and sound melodic.
Both are lovely but I prefer [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f], especially if your daughter will be a [name_m]French[/name_m] speaker. I don’t think she’d have too many issues with people’s pronunciation and even if she does, they’ll get it right once she corrects them. And I do know what you mean when you say you feel a [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] would have to be very charming and beautiful but the truth is it’ll very quickly feel like your daughter is exactly what a [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] should be like. [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] [name_f]Rachel[/name_f] [name_f]Christiane[/name_f] flows perfectly!
[name_f]Jacqueline[/name_f] and tdfm, thanks so much for the feedback! You’re both right in that [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] is gorgeous, and it would make sense for her as a [name_m]French[/name_m] speaker. And I’m glad that the flow of the first and middle names sounds pretty — I really wanted to use both our mothers’ names.
[name_f]Jacqueline[/name_f], I do constantly have trouble with people misspelling and mispronouncing my name, but I do feel that’s somewhat inevitable with any relatively uncommon name (although [name_f]Madeline[/name_f] and [name_u]Vivian[/name_u], in those spellings, are quite popular).
At this point, I’m leaning toward [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f]. I’m sure she’ll live up to it
I like both [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] and [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f]. I also like [name_u]Vivien[/name_u] (as in [name_u]Vivien[/name_u] [name_u]Leigh[/name_u]). I think all spellings are fairly well-known (at least in the UK) so you can’t go wrong.
I really like [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] [name_f]Rachel[/name_f] [name_f]Christiane[/name_f] and the nickname [name_f]Vivi[/name_f]! I prefer [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] because this spelling feels more light and girly to me. I believe most people are familiar with both spellings of the names and I knew a girl with this spelling and she had 0 problems. I also think either spelling is feminine and spunky enough that you don’t have to be a certain kind of girl to fit the name. I also love your spelling of Madeleine but I think Vivienne will not be misspelled as much as Madeleine is Madeline.
Personally, I use [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] in my combos (like you said, I’m partial to its simplicity), but in your case I would definitely go with [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f]! You’re right in that [name_f]Madeleine[/name_f] and [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] look lovely together, and [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] [name_f]Rachel[/name_f] [name_f]Christiane[/name_f] is a lovely name!
[name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] all the way. I think it looks and sounds much softer than [name_u]Vivian[/name_u], which is a little harsh to me. [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] is beautiful.
Personally, I strongly prefer [name_u]Vivian[/name_u], [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] seems overly frilly to me. With [name_u]French[/name_u] family members, though, it might be a solid choice for you.
I like both spellings, but I prefer [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f]. I think, when I read them anyway, [name_u]Vivian[/name_u] is pronounced Vih-Vee-In while [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f] is pronounced Vih-Vee-En. [name_m]Just[/name_m] my opinion, though!
i also absolutely love the significance behind each name. good luck mama maddy!