# Valentine (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/valentine/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys and girls |
| Origin | Latin |
| Meaning | “strong”, “healthy”, “-ine” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈvæləntaɪn/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | Val |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 8,950 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 6,711 / 2,239 (25% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 420, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Latin Valentīnus, a patronymic from Valēns (Roman cognomen), itself nominalized from vālens (“strong, healthy”) + -īnus (“-ine”). Doublet of Valentinus, Valentino, Valentina, and Valentini.

## What it means

Valentine is grouped under strong.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 33 | 4,459 |
| 2012 | 28 | 5,104 |
| 2013 | 32 | 4,531 |
| 2014 | 47 | 3,418 |
| 2015 | 41 | 3,757 |
| 2016 | 37 | 4,076 |
| 2017 | 35 | 4,215 |
| 2018 | 42 | 3,669 |
| 2019 | 55 | 2,996 |
| 2020 | 45 | 3,444 |
| 2021 | 49 | 3,295 |
| 2022 | 56 | 2,993 |
| 2023 | 46 | 3,472 |
| 2024 | 51 | 3,172 |
| 2025 | 70 | 2,539 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 33 | 3,359 |
| 2012 | 25 | 4,126 |
| 2013 | 35 | 3,182 |
| 2014 | 40 | 2,927 |
| 2015 | 31 | 3,585 |
| 2016 | 41 | 2,931 |
| 2017 | 48 | 2,634 |
| 2018 | 45 | 2,744 |
| 2019 | 62 | 2,260 |
| 2020 | 51 | 2,544 |
| 2021 | 53 | 2,520 |
| 2022 | 72 | 2,093 |
| 2023 | 83 | 1,906 |
| 2024 | 56 | 2,474 |
| 2025 | 89 | 1,807 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 6 | 3,533 |
| 2012 | 9 | 2,717 |
| 2013 | 9 | 2,649 |
| 2014 | 6 | 3,514 |
| 2015 | 11 | 2,328 |
| 2016 | 5 | 4,096 |
| 2017 | 9 | 2,706 |
| 2018 | 3 | 5,666 |
| 2019 | 6 | 3,541 |
| 2020 | 5 | 3,899 |
| 2021 | 4 | 4,634 |
| 2022 | 9 | 2,673 |
| 2023 | 7 | 3,218 |
| 2024 | 5 | 4,192 |
| 2025 | 6 | 3,705 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 7 | 2,613 |
| 2012 | 12 | 1,852 |
| 2013 | 8 | 2,403 |
| 2014 | 13 | 1,721 |
| 2015 | 7 | 2,707 |
| 2016 | 13 | 1,804 |
| 2017 | 12 | 1,923 |
| 2018 | 9 | 2,259 |
| 2019 | 22 | 1,189 |
| 2020 | 12 | 1,825 |
| 2021 | 16 | 1,516 |
| 2022 | 19 | 1,366 |
| 2023 | 14 | 1,701 |
| 2024 | 13 | 1,859 |
| 2025 | 14 | 1,798 |

## In other languages

- Bulgarian: Валенти́н
- Catalan: Valentí
- Chinese: 瓦倫丁 /瓦伦丁
- Czech: Valentýn
- Danish: Valentin
- Dutch: Valentijn, Valentinus
- Esperanto: Valenteno
- Estonian: Valentin
- Finnish: Valentinus
- French: Valentin
- German: Valentin
- Greek: Βαλεντίνος
- Hungarian: Bálint, Valentin
- Icelandic: Valentín
- Irish: Vailintín
- Italian: Valentino
- Latin: Valentinus
- Latvian: Valentīns
- Polish: Walenty
- Portuguese: Valentim, Valentino

## People named Valentine

- Valentine Telegdi, American physicist (1922–2006)
- Valentine Hugo, French painter, draftsman, and illustrator (1887-1968)
- Valentine de Saint-Point, artist (1875-1953)
- Valentine Cameron Prinsep, British artist (1838-1904)
- Valentine Penrose, French writer and artist (1898–1978)
- George Valentine Nash, American botanist (1864-1921)
- Charles Valentine Riley, British-born American entomologist and artist (1843-1895)
- Valentine Baker, British soldier (1827–1887)
- Valentine Tessier, French actress (1892–1981)
- Valentine Fortin, French cyclist
- Valentine Grant, American actress (1881-1949)
- Valentine Davies, film director, screenwriter (1905-1961)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.