How common is the surname Valentine?

40,395 people in the United States had the surname Valentine in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 7,643 Americans. It ranked 856th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Valentine?

James Valentine, American guitarist, followed by Howard Valentine.

Where is the surname Valentine most common?

Wikidata records people named Valentine in the United States.

How do you pronounce Valentine?

Valentine is /ˈvæləntaɪn/, 3 syllables.

Is the surname Valentine getting more or less common?

More common. 37,669 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 40,395 in 2010, up 7.2%.

Is Valentine also a first name?

Yes. Valentine is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Valentine

A patronymic surname, carried by 40,395 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈvæləntaɪn/ 3 syllables Soundex V453 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Valentine is more common than 99.5% of them.

Origin

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

Valentine is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 40,395 people named Valentine in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 7,643 Americans. That is up 7.2% since 2000, when the Census counted 37,669.

#856

rank among US surnames

40,395

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+7.2%

change since 2000 (was #834)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#847	Michael	40,736	7,579
#848	Conrad	40,707	7,585
#849	Giles	40,598	7,605
#850	Benjamin	40,590	7,606
#851	Crosby	40,563	7,612
#852	Fitzpatrick	40,449	7,633
#853	Donovan	40,410	7,640

Who is named Valentine

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

66% of people named Valentine identified as white (not Hispanic), 23% as Black (not Hispanic) and 7.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

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

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Valentines

18 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

James Valentine
American guitarist, born 1978
Howard Valentine
Athletics competitor (1881-1932)
Gary Valentine
American actor and comedian, born 1961
Denzel Valentine
American basketball player (born 1993)
Karen Valentine
American actress, born 1947
Brooke Valentine
American singer and songwriter, born 1984
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, born 1987
Alan Valentine
American writer and rugby union player (1901–1980)
Grace Valentine
American actress (1884-1964)

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Valentine

Valentine has the Soundex code V453, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code V453.

Questions

Where does the surname Valentine come from?: From Latin Valentīnus, a patronymic from Valēns (Roman cognomen), itself nominalized from vālens (“strong, healthy”) + -īnus (“-ine”). Doublet of Valentinus, Valentino, Valentina, and Valentini.
How common is the surname Valentine?: 40,395 people in the United States had the surname Valentine in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 7,643 Americans. It ranked 856th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Valentine?: In the 2010 Census, 66% of people named Valentine identified as white (not Hispanic), and 23% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Valentine?: James Valentine, American guitarist, followed by Howard Valentine.
Where is the surname Valentine most common?: Wikidata records people named Valentine in the United States.
How do you pronounce Valentine?: Valentine is /ˈvæləntaɪn/, 3 syllables.
What type of surname is Valentine?: Valentine is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Valentine getting more or less common?: More common. 37,669 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 40,395 in 2010, up 7.2%.
Is Valentine also a first name?: Yes. Valentine is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.