Girl nameCurrently #147 in the USSteady
Valerie
VAL-er-ee//ˈvæləri//
3 syllablesPeak year: 19597 lettersStarts with V
Meaning & origin
Strong, healthy
Valerie comes from the Roman family name Valerius, rooted in the Latin 'valere', meaning to be strong or healthy — the same root shared by Valentine. A mid-20th-century favorite, it retains a warm, capable, old-fashioned charm.
Valerie's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Valerie |
|---|---|
| 1884 | 8 |
| 1887 | 7 |
| 1888 | 5 |
| 1889 | 12 |
| 1890 | 12 |
| 1891 | 12 |
| 1892 | 11 |
| 1893 | 10 |
| 1894 | 17 |
| 1895 | 19 |
| 1896 | 11 |
| 1897 | 16 |
| 1898 | 21 |
| 1899 | 12 |
| 1900 | 21 |
| 1901 | 19 |
| 1902 | 19 |
| 1903 | 17 |
| 1904 | 27 |
| 1905 | 25 |
| 1906 | 25 |
| 1907 | 31 |
| 1908 | 28 |
| 1909 | 47 |
| 1910 | 45 |
| 1911 | 58 |
| 1912 | 87 |
| 1913 | 116 |
| 1914 | 103 |
| 1915 | 171 |
| 1916 | 179 |
| 1917 | 182 |
| 1918 | 202 |
| 1919 | 171 |
| 1920 | 170 |
| 1921 | 190 |
| 1922 | 147 |
| 1923 | 155 |
| 1924 | 172 |
| 1925 | 151 |
| 1926 | 171 |
| 1927 | 195 |
| 1928 | 179 |
| 1929 | 180 |
| 1930 | 222 |
| 1931 | 244 |
| 1932 | 276 |
| 1933 | 293 |
| 1934 | 319 |
| 1935 | 486 |
| 1936 | 458 |
| 1937 | 494 |
| 1938 | 551 |
| 1939 | 622 |
| 1940 | 807 |
| 1941 | 752 |
| 1942 | 1,017 |
| 1943 | 955 |
| 1944 | 921 |
| 1945 | 1,079 |
| 1946 | 1,440 |
| 1947 | 1,553 |
| 1948 | 2,137 |
| 1949 | 3,062 |
| 1950 | 3,035 |
| 1951 | 3,564 |
| 1952 | 4,273 |
| 1953 | 4,601 |
| 1954 | 4,923 |
| 1955 | 5,523 |
| 1956 | 5,922 |
| 1957 | 6,250 |
| 1958 | 6,937 |
| 1959 | 7,320 |
| 1960 | 6,732 |
| 1961 | 6,697 |
| 1962 | 6,358 |
| 1963 | 6,185 |
| 1964 | 6,628 |
| 1965 | 5,667 |
| 1966 | 4,827 |
| 1967 | 4,775 |
| 1968 | 4,561 |
| 1969 | 4,308 |
| 1970 | 4,143 |
| 1971 | 3,693 |
| 1972 | 3,213 |
| 1973 | 3,059 |
| 1974 | 3,195 |
| 1975 | 3,239 |
| 1976 | 3,397 |
| 1977 | 3,281 |
| 1978 | 3,314 |
| 1979 | 3,430 |
| 1980 | 3,639 |
| 1981 | 3,625 |
| 1982 | 4,007 |
| 1983 | 3,920 |
| 1984 | 3,738 |
| 1985 | 3,898 |
| 1986 | 3,636 |
| 1987 | 2,977 |
| 1988 | 2,777 |
| 1989 | 2,574 |
| 1990 | 2,445 |
| 1991 | 2,389 |
| 1992 | 2,350 |
| 1993 | 2,182 |
| 1994 | 2,010 |
| 1995 | 2,188 |
| 1996 | 2,082 |
| 1997 | 2,224 |
| 1998 | 2,142 |
| 1999 | 2,038 |
| 2000 | 2,023 |
| 2001 | 1,988 |
| 2002 | 2,116 |
| 2003 | 1,918 |
| 2004 | 1,912 |
| 2005 | 2,041 |
| 2006 | 2,752 |
| 2007 | 2,424 |
| 2008 | 2,505 |
| 2009 | 2,321 |
| 2010 | 2,065 |
| 2011 | 1,957 |
| 2012 | 1,863 |
| 2013 | 1,880 |
| 2014 | 1,886 |
| 2015 | 1,880 |
| 2016 | 1,966 |
| 2017 | 1,824 |
| 2018 | 1,801 |
| 2019 | 1,890 |
| 2020 | 1,881 |
| 2021 | 1,840 |
| 2022 | 1,986 |
| 2023 | 1,951 |
| 2024 | 1,985 |
Valerie through the decades
- Valerie peaked in 1959, when 7,320 babies were named Valerie in the US.
- The 1960s were Valerie's strongest decade, averaging 5,674 births a year.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Valerie has fallen 12% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Valerie currently ranks #147 in the US and is holding steady.
Nicknames
Val
Variants & spellings
ValeriaValery