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Name Lineage

    The first name Val

    A unisex name.

    Pronounced /væl/ 1 syllable Unisex

    Meaning and origin

    A male given name, a short form of Valentine and Valerius.

    Val is a short form of

    .

    From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    Popularity in the United States

    Babies named Val at birth, 1880–2025

    In 2025, 22 boys born in the United States were named Val, the 4,692nd most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1952, when 178 were.

    0100200 188018851890189519001905191019151920192519301935194019451950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025
    GirlsBoys
    7,406
    babies named Val since 1880
    #4,692
    rank in 2025
    1952
    peak year

    US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.

    Famous people named Val

    12 on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Val Kilmer
      American actor (1959–2025)
    • Val Logsdon Fitch
      American physicist, 1923–2015
    • Val Demings
      American politician in Florida (born 1957)
    • Val Avery
      American actor (1924–2009)
    • Val Valentino
      American magician, born 1956
    • Val Guest
      British film director (1911–2006)
    • Val Plumwood
      Australian philosopher (1939–2008)
    • Val Bettin
      Actor/Voice actor, 1923–2021
    • Val Bisoglio
      American character actor (1926–2021)
    • Val Paul
      Actor, Film director (1886-1962)
    • Val Dufour
      American actor (1927-2000)
    • Val Hoyle
      American politician, born 1964

    Questions

    Is Val a boy's or a girl's name?
    Both. Of the 7,406 US babies named Val since 1880, 24% were girls and 76% boys.
    When was Val most popular?
    1952 in the United States, when 178 babies were named Val, its highest rank at 527th.
    How do you pronounce Val?
    Val is /væl/, one syllable.