5 replies to this topic

[monaliza]

I like both the names Vivian and Vanessa. With Vivian I'm not fond of the fact that it has been used as a male name. This brought me to the spelling Vivien which is supposed to be the female version but I'm not sure because I like letters a in female names for some reason although I think Vivien looks softer compared to Vivian. With the name Vanessa being an ultra feminine name that's not an issue but I'm still not sure which is the name I really want. I'm really not into the spelling Vivienne because I don't like all the extra letters but it's still cute, especially if you're French. Both are classic names although Vanessa is older and has remained more popular through centuries. Like both the nickname Nessa and Viv. Opinions please?

[Remy Hadley]

I like both the names Vivian and Vanessa. With Vivian I'm not fond of the fact that it has been used as a male name. This brought me to the spelling Vivien which is supposed to be the female version but I'm not sure because I like letters a in female names for some reason although I think Vivien looks softer compared to Vivian. With the name Vanessa being an ultra feminine name that's not an issue but I'm still not sure which is the name I really want. I'm really not into the spelling Vivienne because I don't like all the extra letters but it's still cute, especially if you're French. Both are classic names although Vanessa is older and has remained more popular through centuries. Like both the nickname Nessa and Viv. Opinions please?'

I've never heard of Vivian on a boy!! Thats just so bizarre to me! Vivienne is actually the traditional french spelling. Not extra letters like Brooklynn or something. I don't care for how Vivien looks at all, sorry. The two spellings to me are Vivian and Vivienne <3 If you don't care for the spellings, just got for Vanessa? Vanessa is absolutely gorgeous, I love it! Nessa is a cute nick name, hehe. Both names are old fashioned, though I'd think Vivienne to be older than Vanessa. Vanessa is a little more popular and known through the times and all, but Vivienne is way old fashioned french. Which tbh is what I like about it.

If you like the nick name Viv, maybe Genevieve is another option? Viv would work adorably there as well. Unless your looking for V names specifically. Though Vanessa and Vivian aren't too close to be siblings if you wanted. The only similar sound is the V <3

[brittany111]

Personally Vanessa is mu favourite, with Nessa as a cute n/n.

[Meghan<3]

Well, I personally like the name Vanessa, as well as the nickname Nessa. I suppose it may be considered a bit "dated" but I think it's a lovely name. Vivian / Vivien has never been a personal favorite of mine. Nevertheless, it is a fine name. If you're worried about the masculinity issue (although I do think Vivian with any spelling is all female in this day and age), then I would go with the spelling Vivien.

[bellababy]

I vote for Vanessa, but I am biased as I have a 6 month old named Vanessa Rose. Like you, I had a tough time deciding between Vivienne/Vivian/Vivien and Vanessa. Both are gorgeous names. I posted on various different boards and here is a recap of my findings.
Vivienne/Vivian/Vivien: climbing up the charts quickly mostly due to Jolie-Pit and Bundchen-Brady baby being given this name recently. It's very likely that the name is headed for the top of the charts in the near future. A lot of people associate the name with Vivien Leigh, which is definitely a nice association as the Gone With the Wind actress is stunning. Viv and Vivi are nicknames for the name, which get mixed reviews. I personally don't like Viv or Vivi as nicknames and also wanted to stay away from names that were associated with star kids' names. Also, I found that the Vivien/Vivian/Vivienne didn't roll of my tongue as nicely as Vanessa. The redundancy of the first 4 letters, didn't have the nice forward movement of Vanessa.
Vanessa: has been in the top 100 for over 3 decades, but peaked in the 80's with #42, which makes some people categorize the name as dated. Overall, though, more people think it's a timeless name. I don't think it's dated either because it was never popular enough to be a generation defining name. People tend to think that Vanessa is more romantic than Vivian/Vivien/Vivienne, which has a more prim and proper sound to it. There are many famous people with the name Vanessa: Vanessa Redgrave, Vanessa Carlton, Vanessa Paradis, Vanessa Lachey, Vanessa Marcil, Vanessa Hudgens, etc., and all are good associations as they are all beautiful women. I adore the nickname Nessa, which we use quite a bit for our baby.
In the end, I think it all comes down to personal style. You can't go wrong with either name as they are both gorgeous. You have to go with the name that gives you more of a wow factor and one that you can see yourself saying for many years to come. For me that name was Vanessa. Good luck!