Fun Facts About the Name Vi
- More than 1 thousand babies named Vi: U.S. records list 1,086 babies given the name Vi from 1880 through 2025. Even 125 boys received the name Vi - about 1 boy for every 8 girls.
What Does the Name Vi Mean?
Vi is an English short form of longer given names beginning with Vi-, so it has no root of its own; its meaning is inherited from the name it shortens. The most common sources are the flower names Violet and Viola, both from Latin viola, the word for the violet. A third source is Vivian (feminine Vivien), from the Latin family name Vivianus, related to vivus, "alive"; the familiar sense "lively" is a customary interpretation rather than a literal translation of that root.
In Vietnamese, Vi is also used as a given name, generally in two-part names. Its meaning there is not fixed but depends on the Sino-Vietnamese character chosen to write it, so the same sound can carry different meanings in different names.
Vi Name History & Origins
Vi belongs to a long English habit of clipping a longer name to its opening sound. It is tied most closely to the flower names that spread in the 19th century. Viola had earlier literary standing: Shakespeare used it for the heroine of Twelfth Night (about 1601). Violet became a common given name in the Victorian period, with Vi as its everyday short form.
Vivian has a separate history. It comes from the Latin family name Vivianus and was used as a masculine name in medieval England. The feminine form Vivien appears in Arthurian romance and in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King (1859). Vi can shorten these names as well as the flower names.
Because it is usually a nickname rather than a formal name, Vi is most often an informal or affectionate form, and it can be made from any longer name containing that syllable.
How Popular is the Name Vi?
Vi 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 1982. Its best rank was #2,957 in 1982.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #14,813 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2024 | #10,184 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2023 | #8,020 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 2022 | #12,166 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #8,936 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2020 | #8,912 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2019 | #12,372 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #8,576 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2017 | #12,649 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2016 | #8,842 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2015 | #10,103 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2014 | #10,905 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2013 | #10,956 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2012 | #11,201 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2011 | #9,115 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2010 | #11,199 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2009 | #8,033 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2008 | #8,089 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2007 | #8,082 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2006 | #8,216 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2005 | #6,234 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2004 | #6,756 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2003 | #4,663 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 2002 | #6,123 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2001 | #5,561 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2000 | #5,484 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1999 | #4,570 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1998 | #4,362 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 1997 | #5,621 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1996 | #3,827 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 1995 | #6,251 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1994 | #4,838 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1993 | #4,518 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1992 | #4,846 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1991 | #4,804 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1990 | #4,866 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1989 | #3,672 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 1988 | #3,582 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1987 | #3,421 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 1986 | #3,642 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 1985 | #3,513 | 25 | 0.0015% |
| 1984 | #3,139 | 28 | 0.0017% |
| 1983 | #3,063 | 28 | 0.0017% |
| 1982 | #2,957 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 1981 | #4,738 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1980 | #4,513 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1979 | #4,622 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1978 | #6,377 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1963 | #4,266 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1962 | #5,837 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1961 | #5,826 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1960 | #7,285 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1959 | #7,168 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1958 | #6,078 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1957 | #3,691 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1956 | #4,820 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1953 | #5,647 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1952 | #4,892 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1945 | #3,666 | 8 | 0.0006% |
| 1944 | #5,207 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1934 | #4,939 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1927 | #5,569 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1922 | #5,747 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1916 | #5,123 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | #11,248 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #7,927 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1995 | #7,760 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1994 | #10,177 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #7,598 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #5,635 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #7,230 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #7,146 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #6,203 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #4,766 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1987 | #6,066 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #4,835 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #5,755 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #4,218 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1981 | #3,845 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1980 | #4,921 | 8 | 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 Vi 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 intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Vi's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Vi's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.