Valera
Feminine · “strong”
Valerian, the sedative herb, is named from the same Latin word as this name: valere, to be strong or to be well. It is also the plant cats respond to the way they respond to catnip, which is not what anyone expects of a sleeping draft.
How old is the name Valera?
Valera first appears in US birth records in 1896 — 129 years ago. The typical Valera alive today was born around 1928, making them about 97 years old. About 300 people named Valera are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Valera most popular?
Valera peaked in 1910, reaching #1110 nationally. Today it ranks #11932, 10,822 places below that high. See the whole 1910 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From valere to Valera
The story of Valera
Valere is a busy verb. Something valid is strong enough to hold; something of value is worth something; valor is strength of a particular kind; a convalescent is getting well again; and vale, the Roman goodbye, means be well. The herb belongs with them: valerian root has been used as a sedative since antiquity and takes its name from the same idea of health, though the connection may run through a person named Valerius rather than the verb directly. The Roman clan name was one of the oldest in the city, and its feminine has been in use for two thousand years, arriving in American records with Italian, Spanish and eastern European families.
Meaningscholars disagree
strong, healthy
Usually taken as a form of Valeria, from Latin valere, to be well or strong, through the Roman clan name Valerius. The same verb gives value, valid, valor, convalesce and the Roman farewell vale. In Russia, Valera is a man's pet form of Valery and is entirely ordinary.
How the name formed
- valere
- Valeria
- Valera
Related forms: Valeria · Valera · Valeria
Pronouncing Valera
vah-LEH-rah
Three syllables, stress in the middle, in Italian and Spanish. Russian says it the same way. English speakers often say vuh-LEER-uh, with a longer second vowel.
Nicknames for Valera
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
- 1896
- Most girls named
- 191938 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1110reached in 1910
- Change vs 2024
- +40.0%7 in 2025, from 5
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.
Valera in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Valeria in Italian — related form
- Valera in Russian — related form
- Valeria in Spanish — related form
Valeras among us
people named Valera are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 229,610 born in 2025 was named Valera
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
Valera sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Valera beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Valera in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled Latin root that anyone can check in an English dictionary.
- Three open syllables with a clear central stress.
- Val works as a short form and serves either child.
- In Russia this exact form is a man's name, which matters on any international form.
- Valeria and Valera are both used and the longer one is much commoner.
- It is strongly represented among the oldest generations and reads clearly as of that time.
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Valera
Feminine · #11932 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Valeras are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 300 people named Valera are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Valera in 2025?
- Valera ranks #11932 among US girl names in 2025, with 7 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Valera?
- About 1 in every 229,610 US girls born in 2025 was named Valera — 7 in all.
- Will my child share the name Valera with classmates?
- Valera will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Valera
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Vina#11932 · Retta#11932 · Missouri#11932 · Iola#11932 · Eddie#11932 · Thomas#11932 · Louetta#11932 · Elvina#11932
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Valera? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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