The first name Valerie
A girl’s name from French.
Pronounced /ˈvæləɹi/ 3 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
French origin
From French Valérie, from Latin Valeria. Doublet of Valeria.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 54 girls were named Valerie, making it the 684th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2024, with 60 births (#647).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Valerie with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Valerie at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 2,221 girls born in the United States were named Valerie, the 127th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1959, when 7,302 were.
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.
Valerie in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Valerie in German too.
Nicknames and spellings
Famous people named Valerie
90 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Valerie SolanasAmerican radical feminist and author (1936-1988)
- Valérie TrierweilerFrench journalist, born 1965
- Valérie PécresseFrench politician (born 1967)
- Valérie LemercierFrench actress, comedian, singer, film director and screenwriter, born 1964
- Valerie PerrineAmerican actress (1943-2026)
- Archduchess Marie Valerie of AustriaAustrian archduchess (1868-1924)
- Valerie HarperAmerican actress (1939-2019)
- Valerie BertinelliAmerican actress (born 1960)
- Valérie BenguiguiFrench actress of stage and screen (1961–2013)
- Valerie MahaffeyAmerican actress (1953–2025)
- Valerie JarrettAmerican businesswoman and a former government official, born 1956
- Valerie Brisco-HooksAmerican athletics competitor (born 1960)
More French girls’ names
Questions
- What does the name Valerie mean?
- From French Valérie, from Latin Valeria. Doublet of Valeria.
- What is the origin of the name Valerie?
- From French Valérie, from Latin Valeria. Doublet of Valeria.
- How popular is the name Valerie?
- In 2025, 54 girls born in England and Wales were named Valerie, ranking 684th. Its peak was 2024, with 60 births.
- What are nicknames for Valerie?
- Common nicknames for Valerie include Val.
- Is Valerie a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 273,922 US babies named Valerie since 1880 were girls.
- When was Valerie most popular?
- 1959 in the United States, when 7,302 babies were named Valerie, its highest rank at 60th.
- How do you pronounce Valerie?
- Valerie is /ˈvæləɹi/, 3 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Valerie?
- Valery and Valarie.