Valentine
Valentine is both a masculine and a feminine given name, and a surname, derived from the Roman family name Valentinus, which was derived from the Latin word valens, which means "strong and healthy". Valentine can be considered an English translation or adaptation of the names Valentinus or Valentinian. It was the name of several saints of the Roman Catholic Church. St.
Meaning & Origin of Valentine
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Valentine is both a masculine and a feminine given name, and a surname, derived from the Roman family name Valentinus, which was derived from the Latin word valens, which means "strong and healthy". Valentine can be considered an English translation or adaptation of the names Valentinus or Valentinian. It was the name of several saints of the Roman Catholic Church. St.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Valentine
As a girl name
Valentine first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1885, with 10 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2022, when 56 Valentines were born — ranking #2,955 that year. As of 2026, Valentine ranks #3,121 for girls with 52 births, gradually rising (+14%). In total, more than 2K Valentines have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
Valentine first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1880, with 10 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1918, when 142 Valentines were born — ranking #500 that year. As of 2026, Valentine ranks #2,152 for boys with 70 births, rising sharply (+35% over the past five years). In total, more than 7K Valentines have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Valentine
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Saint Valentine , 3rd century Roman saint
- Valentine of Passau (died 475), Catholic saint, monk, abbot, bishop and hermit
- Pope Valentine (died 827), briefly Roman Catholic pope
- Valentine Abt (1873–1942), American composer and mandolin player
- Valentine Ackland (1906–1969), English poet
- Valentine Berriochoa, one of the Vietnamese Martyrs
- Valentine Colasante (born 1989), French ballet dancer
- Valentine de Saint-Point (1875–1953), French poet, playwright and painter
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Valentine
Phonetically similar names — useful when Valentine is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Valentines
- Valentin
- Valentino
- Valentini
- Galantine
- Valent
- Ballantine
- Valentina
- Valenti
- Valente
- Volentine
- Valenta
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Valentine
What does the name Valentine mean?
How popular is Valentine in 2026?
When was Valentine most popular?
In which U.S. states is Valentine most popular?
Is Valentine a unisex name?
What names go well with Valentine?
About the name Valentine
Valentine is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 7K births in the dataset. Valentine's peak popularity came in 1918 when it ranked #358. Use the chart and map above to compare Valentine's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1918 →
- Names of the 1910s →
- Names starting with "V" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.