Valentine
Masculine · “strong”
Valentine is given to both — 6,711 boys and 2,239 girls since 1880. See Valentine as a girl nameSee other names given to both
Valentine is strong, in Latin — valens — and the saint attached to the February date is so obscure that the Church removed him from the general calendar in 1969.
How old is the name Valentine?
Valentine was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Valentine alive today was born around 1939, making them about 86 years old. About 3,000 people named Valentine are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Valentine most popular?
Valentine peaked in 1894, reaching #358 nationally. Today it ranks #1793, 1,435 places below that high. See the whole 1894 chart.
Valentine appears on these lists:
Where it comes from
From valens to Valentine
The story of Valentine
Almost nothing reliable is known about Saint Valentine — there may have been two or three, and the Church removed the feast from the general Roman calendar in 1969 for lack of evidence. The romantic association appears first in Chaucer, who may have chosen the date for the birds' mating season. The name is in current use.
Meaning
strong, healthy
From the Latin valens, 'strong' or 'vigorous', the participle of valere, 'to be strong' or 'to be worth'. The same verb gives value, valid, valor and the farewell vale. The Latin is ordinary and the meaning undisputed.
How the name formed
- valens
- Valentinus
- Valentine
Related forms: Valentin · Valentino · Valentin · Valentín
Pronouncing Valentine
VAL-un-tyne
Three syllables, stress on the first. French Valentin is va-lon-TAN with a nasal ending.
Nicknames for Valentine
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 1918142 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #358reached in 1894
- Change vs 2022
- +23.6%89 in 2025, from 72
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Valentine in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Valentin in French — related form
- Valentino in Italian — related form
- Valentin in Russian — related form
- Valentín in Spanish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York.
Valentines among us
people named Valentine are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 19,192 born in 2025 was named Valentine
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Valentine is on its second act. Revived names age gently: the generation that wore them first is far enough away that the name feels classic rather than dated.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Valentine is headed
Valentine should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Valentine beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Valentine in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The strength meaning is transparent, undisputed and unusually good.
- The saint's near-total obscurity is a genuinely interesting fact about the feast.
- Val and Tino are two short forms, both with real use.
- The February association is total and seasonal.
- It reads as feminine to some English speakers.
- Three syllables make it long for everyday use.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Valentine to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Valentine? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Valentine
Masculine · #1793 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Valentines are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 3,000 people named Valentine are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Valentine in 2025?
- Valentine ranks #1793 among US boy names in 2025, with 89 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Valentine?
- About 1 in every 19,192 US boys born in 2025 was named Valentine — 89 in all.
- Will my child share the name Valentine with classmates?
- Valentine will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Valentine
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Iman#1793 · Auden#1793 · Klayton#1793 · Asael#1793 · Rico#1793 · Donnie#1793 · Kodi#1793 · Romari#1793
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Valentine? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Valentine and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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