Girl's name
Valerie
Say it VAL-er-ee
Roots in French and Latin from Valeria, to be healthy, to be strong
3 syllables
Where Valerie is loved, common and rare
Common across Austria and Munich. Rare in Canada, four other German cities, the Netherlands and seven more places.
1 in 3,578 girls born in Scotland in 2025
Austria 24thMunich 80thOntario 119th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 17 of the 40 official lists, among them Austria (24th), Munich (80th) and Ontario (119th).
Show all 17 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 24th 2025 | 262 | 1 in 136 |
| Munich city | 80th 2025 | 17 | about 1 in 247 |
| Ontario province | 119th 2024 | 88 | about 1 in 619 |
| British Columbia province | 156th 2023 | 19 | about 1 in 629 |
| The Netherlands | 238th 2025 | 62 | about 1 in 984 |
| Switzerland | 293rd 2025 | 34 | 1 in 1,000 |
| Cologne city | 308th 2023 | 3 | about 1 in 2,048 |
| Sweden | 478th 2025 | 13 | about 1 in 3,090 |
| Scotland | 539th 2025 | 5 | 1 in 3,578 |
| England and Wales | 684th 2025 | 54 | 1 in 4,690 |
| Poland | 706th 2025 | 2 | 1 in 59,894 |
| Berlin city | 757th 2023 | 3 | about 1 in 4,835 |
| Quebec province | 775th 2025 | 5 | about 1 in 5,201 |
| Italy | 1116th 2024 | 8 | 1 in 22,396 |
| France as Valérie | 3366th 2025 | 5 | 1 in 57,359 |
| Rostock city | 166th 2025 | 1 | about 1 in 985 |
| Bonn city | 173rd 2025 | 3 | about 1 in 1,005 |
Rare, below the listed names: Northern Ireland, Ireland, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, Leipzig, Norway, Spain, Catalonia, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Sources: Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); Landeshauptstadt München, Statistisches Amt (opendata.muenchen.de) (Munich); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji, rejestr PESEL (dane.gov.pl) (Poland); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock (opendata-hro.de) (Rostock); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn). How we count, and every source
About the name
Valerie comes from the French Valérie, from the Latin Valeria, and so it shares that name's meaning, 'to be healthy, to be strong'. The two are doublets, grown from the same Roman family name, Valerius.
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Three syllables, said VAL-er-ee, with the stress on the first. Val is the obvious short form. Valérie is the French spelling, and Valeria, Valery, Valarie and Waleria are related forms.
Austria is where it is most popular today, inside the top 30, and it is also used in the Netherlands and Switzerland. In the English-speaking world it appears most in Ontario and British Columbia. French records place its peak in the late 1960s, and it is rising in more regions than it is falling, so it is finding a new generation of parents.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- VAL-er-ee, 3 syllables
- Meaning
- from Valeria,
to be healthy, to be strong
- Origin
- French and Latin
- Other spellings
- Valeria
- Valery
- Waleska
- Valerija
- Waleria
- Valarie
- Valeriya
Counted together here: Valérie.
Etymology
From French Valérie, from Latin Valeria. Doublet of Valeria.
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 7 of 13 regions, falling in 5.
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Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 861 | 1371 | 936 | 1292 | 1044 | 1039 | 1120 | 832 | 647 | 684 |
| Scotland | 675 | 638 | 539 | |||||||
| Ireland | 750 | 734 | 896 | 871 | 883 | 905 | 727 | 631 | ||
| Ontario | 240 | 288 | 250 | 245 | 203 | 217 | 135 | 133 | 119 | |
| British Columbia | 223 | 196 | 193 | 458 | 290 | 213 | 286 | 156 | ||
| Quebec | 357 | 561 | 514 | 435 | 496 | 785 | 459 | 384 | 612 | 775 |
| France | 2573 | 2024 | 1989 | 2530 | 2508 | 2509 | 2504 | 2420 | 1841 | 3366 |
| The Netherlands | 158 | 181 | 211 | 191 | 231 | 191 | 287 | 265 | 238 | |
| Austria | 40 | 49 | 43 | 44 | 40 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 27 | 24 |
| Switzerland | 388 | 271 | 275 | 297 | 404 | 302 | 393 | 319 | 357 | 293 |
| Berlin | 138 | 263 | 287 | 360 | 183 | 179 | 246 | 757 | ||
| Munich | 66 | 91 | 88 | 101 | 80 | 75 | 77 | 116 | 110 | 80 |
| Cologne | 316 | 288 | 211 | 332 | 149 | 198 | 318 | 308 | ||
| Bonn | 174 | 222 | 134 | 90 | 96 | 124 | 139 | 380 | 362 | 173 |
| Leipzig | 152 | 149 | 189 | 406 | 201 | 389 | 112 | 143 | ||
| Rostock | 283 | 107 | 202 | 141 | 126 | 197 | 187 | 174 | 166 | |
| Sweden | 421 | 478 | 388 | 459 | 548 | 469 | 309 | 440 | 493 | 478 |
| Italy | 1141 | 1025 | 1215 | 1116 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 684 | 54 | 21.3 |
| 2024 | 647 | 60 | 23.3 |
| 2023 | 832 | 43 | 16.8 |
| 2022 | 1120 | 30 | 11.4 |
| 2021 | 1039 | 33 | 12.0 |
| 2020 | 1044 | 32 | 11.9 |
| 2019 | 1292 | 25 | 8.9 |
| 2018 | 936 | 39 | 13.5 |
| 2017 | 1371 | 24 | 8.0 |
| 2016 | 861 | 43 | 14.0 |
| 2015 | 1057 | 33 | 10.7 |
| 2014 | 1234 | 27 | 8.8 |
| 2013 | 1400 | 23 | 7.5 |
| 2012 | 1130 | 30 | 9.3 |
| 2011 | 1327 | 23 | 7.2 |
| 2010 | 1429 | 21 | 6.5 |
| 2009 | 1325 | 22 | 7.0 |
| 2008 | 831 | 40 | 12.7 |
| 2007 | 963 | 31 | 10.1 |
| 2006 | 1119 | 24 | 8.0 |
| 2005 | 1589 | 14 | 4.9 |
| 2004 | 1459 | 15 | 5.2 |
| 2003 | 1383 | 15 | 5.4 |
| 2002 | 1658 | 11 | 4.1 |
| 2001 | 1305 | 15 | 5.6 |
| 2000 | 1058 | 19 | 7.0 |
| 1999 | 1805 | 9 | 3.2 |
| 1998 | 1697 | 10 | 3.5 |
| 1997 | 1958 | 8 | 2.7 |
| 1996 | 1296 | 14 | 4.7 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
France since 1925
Half of the babies named Valerie in France since 1925 were born in or after 1969. First recorded in 1925. Her peak year there: 1969, at 5,345.4 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Valerie per 100,000 girls born in France, by five-year period. Her 1969 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (1900-2025), Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0.
Sister names for Valerie
1 in 1,243 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Valerie.
1 in 911 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Valerie.
1 in 3,521 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Valerie.
1 in 632 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Valerie.
1 in 1,174 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Valerie.
1 in 1,921 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Valerie.
1 in 1,056 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Valerie.
1 in 23,026 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Valerie.
1 in 5,282 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Valerie.
1 in 898 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Valerie.
Middle names for Valerie
1 in 107 in Northern Ireland
Valerie Charlotte
3-2 beats · initials VC
Changes the beat after Valerie: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 86 in Ireland
Valerie Sophie
3-2 beats · initials VS
Changes the beat after Valerie: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Valerie Grace
3-1 beats · initials VG
Changes the beat after Valerie: 3 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Valerie Olivia
3-4 beats · initials VO · Valerie slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Valerie: 3 syllables, then 4 syllables. Valerie slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 102 in Ireland
Valerie Mia
3-2 beats · initials VM
Changes the beat after Valerie: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 132 in Northern Ireland
Valerie Ruby
3-2 beats · initials VR
Changes the beat after Valerie: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Valerie Rose
3-1 beats · initials VR
Changes the beat after Valerie: 3 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 173 in Northern Ireland
Valerie Nora
3-2 beats · initials VN
Changes the beat after Valerie: 3 syllables, then 2 syllables.
Same style as Valerie
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 2,113 in Ireland
93% alike: moves with Valerie across countries and decades.
1 in 3,521 in Ireland
91% alike: moves with Valerie across countries and decades.
1 in 5,282 in Ireland
91% alike: moves with Valerie across countries and decades.
1 in 1,214 in Northern Ireland
90% alike: moves with Valerie across countries and decades.
1 in 21,107 in England and Wales
89% alike: moves with Valerie across countries and decades.
1 in 4,473 in Scotland
89% alike: moves with Valerie across countries and decades.
1 in 911 in Northern Ireland
89% alike: moves with Valerie across countries and decades.
1 in 898 in England and Wales
89% alike: moves with Valerie across countries and decades.
Famous people named Valerie
Valérie Trierweiler, Valérie Pécresse, Valerie Adams, Valerie Perrine, Valérie Lemercier, Valerie Harper, Valerie Bertinelli and Valérie Benguigui.
Show all 8Show less
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French journalist born 1965
-
French politician (born 1967)
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New Zealand shot putter (1984-)
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American actress (1943-2026)
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French actress, comedian, singer, film director and screenwriter born 1964
-
American actress (1939-2019)
-
American actress (born 1960)
-
French actress of stage and screen (1961–2013)
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Valerie
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
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How popular is Valerie?
Her best rank is No. 24 in Austria in 2025, about 1 in 136 girls. She is in the published lists of 17 of our 40 regions.
What does Valerie mean?
Valerie takes her meaning from Valeria: "to be healthy, to be strong", per Wiktionary.
How do you pronounce Valerie?
VAL-er-ee, with 3 syllables.
Is Valerie getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 7 of 13 regions, falling in 5.
Which sister names go with Valerie?
The deck's top five sisters for Valerie: Diana, Josephine, Anne, Beatrice and Celine. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.