Valerie

Etymology

Romance

The name is generally of Romance origins. The Latin clan name, Valerius, is masculine and denotes strength, health or boldness. Valeria is simply the feminine form of this. Both masculine and feminine given names are derived via French into other languages.

In Catholic Europe, given names always related the individual to a saint, so the popularity of a name often reflected the importance of the cult of a saint. There were several important saints who bore the name and were widely venerated in the Middle Ages and, more locally in recent times. St Valerie of Limoges (French Sainte Valérie de Limoges) probably exercised the greatest influence in spreading the name. Her cult was practised along the important Way of St James and, as a cephalophore, she became a favourite subject in the early modern ceramics industry.

The majority of variant spellings have emerged relatively recently, mainly in the 20th century, origin, with fashions often following the forms adopted in popular songs.

Germanic

The modern masculine given name Valéry is ambiguous. While generally considered a cognate of Valérie, it can also be a development of, or synonym for, the name Walaric(us) (English Walric), which is of Germanic origin and signifies “foreign power”. A notable example is Walric, abbot of Leuconay. Both “Saint-Valery” [valri] and “Saint-Valéry” [valeri] are common elements in French place-names, often used optionally for the same place. The second form is a modern misspelling for ‘Saint-Valery’, that is to say St Walric.

People with the given name

Valerie Adams (born 1984), New Zealand shot putter

Valerie Agnew (born 1969), American drummer

Valerie Amos, Baroness Amos (born 1954), Guyanese–born English diplomat and politician

Valerie Anand (1937–2024), English author

Valerie André (1922–2025), French aviator, neurosurgeon, and military officer

Valerie Ashby (born 1966), American chemist and professor

Valerie Aurora, American feminist activist and software engineer

Valerie Azlynn (born 1980), American actress

Valérie Barizza (born 1967), French short-track speed skater

Valerie Barsom (born 1960), American attorney and politician

Valérie Barthelemy (born 1991), Belgian triathlete

Valérie Batut (born 1969), French tennis player

Valérie Beauvais (born 1963), French politician

Valerie Belgrave (1946–2016), Trinidadian artist and author

Valérie Belin (born 1964), French photographer

Valérie Bellenoue (born 1975), French sport shooter

Fictional characters

Valerie, a character in Breath of Fire II

Valerie, a character in the animated series Frisky Dingo

Valerie, a character in Czechoslovak surrealist fantasy horror Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970 film)

Valerie Barlow, a character in the British soap opera Coronation Street

Valerie Gray, a ghost hunter in the cartoon series Danny Phantom

Valerie Malone, a character in TV series Beverly Hills 90210

Valerie "Val" Tyler, a character from the TV series What I Like About You