Valerie
Valerie was the 127th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,221 babies. Its best year was 1959, when it ranked 60th with 7,302 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 44 places. More babies were named Valerie in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning to be strong, healthy · Latin, French
Say it VAL-uh-ree /ˈvæləri/
- Rank in 2025
- #127 girls, up 17 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 2,221girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19597,302 babies
- Total since 1880
- 273,922babies recorded
What does the name Valerie mean?
Valerie is the French Valérie, from Latin Valeria, the feminine of the Roman family name Valerius. Wiktionary derives Valerius from valere, 'to be healthy, to be strong'. Wikipedia notes that Valéry is a masculine form used in France and Russia. Valeria is the form used in Spanish, Italian and Russian, and Val is a short form for both Valerie and Valentine.
Valeria (Latin, “feminine of Valerius”)valēre (Latin, “to be strong, healthy”)
How sure is this? Probable. The link of the Roman family name Valerius with valere is the standard explanation.
Related names: Valeria, Valérie, Valery, Val.
See also: Latin names, names that mean strength.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Valerie', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'Valeria', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Valerie (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Valerie
The usual nicknames for Valerie are Val.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Val · also for Valentina, Valeria, Valentino | Traditional | — | 18 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Valeries go by each one.
Valerie popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 693 since 1936.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #127 | 2,221 |
| 2020 | #144 | 1,882 |
| 2010 | #149 | 2,065 |
| 2000 | #166 | 2,017 |
| 1990 | #129 | 2,428 |
| 1980 | #85 | 3,613 |
| 1970 | #97 | 4,130 |
| 1960 | #65 | 6,717 |
| 1950 | #116 | 3,026 |
| 1940 | #214 | 799 |
| 1930 | #452 | 222 |
| 1920 | #546 | 170 |
| 1910 | #637 | 45 |
| 1900 | #830 | 21 |
| 1890 | #822 | 12 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Valerie, counting every spelling?
Valerie is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #124 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #127 for Valerie on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,596 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valerie | 2,221 | #127 | 9,993 |
| Valery | 366 | #744 | 1,715 |
| Vallerie | — | — | 26 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Valerie?
2,221 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Valerie (0.62 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Valerie born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 4 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Valerie.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Valerie?
About 239,200 people born in the US named Valerie are alive today, with a median age of 50; half are between 30 and 65. That makes Valerie mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Valerie by state
How common Valerie was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Nevada (2.3×), Rhode Island (2.1×), Florida (1.8×), California (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in South Dakota, Delaware, Alabama.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Valerie: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Valerie, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Valerie
What does Valerie mean?
Valerie means “to be strong, healthy” (Latin, French origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Valerie?
Valerie was the 127th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,221 babies. Its best year was 1959, when it ranked 60th with 7,302 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 44 places. More babies were named Valerie in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Valerie a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Valerie in the US.
Where is Valerie most popular?
In 2021–2025, Valerie was most common in Nevada (2.80 per 1,000 girls), followed by Rhode Island and Florida.