# Valentine (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/valentine/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

An English and Scottish surname derived from the male given name.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 40,395 |
| US rank (2010) | 856 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 7,643 people |
| Change since 2000 | +7.2% (37,669 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈvæləntaɪn/, 3 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## 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.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Valentine in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 66% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 23% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 7.3% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.5% |
| Two or more races | 2.1% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Valentine in the United States.

## People named Valentine

- James Valentine, American guitarist
- Howard Valentine, athletics competitor (1881-1932)
- Gary Valentine, American actor and comedian
- Denzel Valentine, American basketball player (born 1993)
- Karen Valentine, American actress
- Brooke Valentine, American singer and songwriter
- Joseph A. Valentine, American cinematographer (1900-1949)
- Paul Valentine, American actor (1919-2006)
- Johnny Valentine, American professional wrestler (1928-2001)
- Justina Valentine, American television host, rapper and singer
- Alan Valentine, American writer and rugby union player (1901–1980)
- Grace Valentine, American actress (1884-1964)

and 6 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Valentin, Valentino, Valentini, Valenti, Valente, Valiente, Valenta, Violante.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.