Fun Facts About the Name Varian
- 415 babies named Varian: U.S. records list 415 babies given the name Varian from 1880 through 2025. Even 5 girls received the name Varian - about 1 girl for every 82 boys.
What Does the Name Varian Mean?
Varian is an English-language family name, used only occasionally as a first name. The derivation most often given traces it to the Latin adjective varius, meaning "varied," "diverse," or "changeable." That same adjective gave the Roman family name Varius, borne by the poet Lucius Varius Rufus, and it is the root of English words such as various and vary. Read that way, the name's literal sense is "varied" or "of diverse kinds." The link to Latin fits the form of the name, but it is not a documented chain of descent, and some families may have come by the surname another way, from a place name or as an altered form of a different name. The meaning is best called probable rather than settled.
Varian Name History & Origins
Varian has the shape of a surname that English speakers later took up as a given name, as happened with many family names drawn from occupations, places, and personal names. It is found as a family name in the English-speaking world, including Ireland, and it traveled with emigrants to North America. As a first name it appears far less often than the surname.
Two American brothers, Russell and Sigurd Varian, gave the surname wider notice in the twentieth century as inventors of the klystron, a microwave tube used in radar and later in particle accelerators; the electronics company Varian Associates grew out of their work. Varian Fry, an American journalist, ran the Emergency Rescue Committee in Marseille in 1940 and 1941, helping refugees leave Vichy France.
The name also turns up in modern fiction, including the character Varian Wrynn in the Warcraft games and novels and a character named Varian in the animated series Tangled: The Series. Those are later uses of the name and do not bear on where it came from.
How Popular is the Name Varian?
Varian has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1977. Its best rank was #1,473 in 1977.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | #5,714 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #10,600 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2024 | #7,679 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2023 | #6,857 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2022 | #7,723 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2021 | #8,780 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #10,526 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2019 | #6,076 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2018 | #7,576 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2017 | #4,734 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2016 | #5,773 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2015 | #7,998 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2014 | #10,641 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2013 | #9,602 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2011 | #12,191 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #12,122 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #12,670 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #7,846 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1998 | #9,588 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #10,742 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #8,955 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #6,943 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1993 | #6,784 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #7,369 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1989 | #9,163 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1988 | #5,722 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #5,431 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #6,693 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #5,528 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #6,194 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #5,600 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #5,447 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #4,478 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1979 | #2,665 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1978 | #3,062 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 1977 | #1,473 | 40 | 0.0024% |
| 1976 | #4,913 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1975 | #3,645 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1974 | #4,615 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1973 | #5,063 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1972 | #3,944 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1970 | #3,506 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1969 | #3,050 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1968 | #3,661 | 7 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Varian Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are fixed in your opinions, firm in your friendships and square in your dealings with others. You are an excellent worker. Since you are both possessive and emotional, you can be either very practical or very impractical and unpredictable. Your dual nature needs to become steadfast. You are the marrying kind. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are always looking for an opportunity to achieve financial and emotional security. You are basically peacemaker. You understand the law of harmony and desire to balance your life with those around you. You may feel incomplete without someone to share your love, ideals, wealth or work. You can be very sensitive and could appear a bit shy and perceptive. You have developed intuition, patience and the ability to nurture others. You can achieve the state of happiness if you are willing to accept your needs in a complimentary relationship and go to create them.
✦ Varian's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Varian's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.