embrisa.
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Theme
Feminine

Valerie

/ˈvæl.ə.ri/

Strong, healthy

Latin

How to say it

VAL · e · rie

/ˈvæl.ə.ri/

What it means

Feminine of Latin Valerius, from valere ('to be strong, healthy'). Same root as English 'value' and 'valor.' Steve Winwood's 1982 song Valerie, then Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse's 2007 cover, kept the name in continuous pop-music circulation.

Valerie comes from the Latin Valeria, feminine of Valerius — the Roman gens name from valere ('to be strong, healthy'). Same root as English 'value,' 'valor,' and 'valiant.' Saint Valerie of Limoges was a 3rd-century martyr (her cult is centered in Limousin). Steve Winwood's 1982 song Valerie, then Mark Ronson's 2007 cover featuring Amy Winehouse, gave the name continuous pop-music currency. Valerie Plame (the outed CIA officer, 2003) and Valerie Bertinelli (One Day at a Time, 1975-1984) cover other anchors. The English Valerie peaked in the mid-20th century and has been sliding gently. Common shorts: Val, Vallie.

Popularity over time

#10 #100 #1000 #1 #146018802025

peaked at #60 in 1959, currently #127 in 2025.

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving

Heads-up notes

  • Pop culture

    Amy Winehouse's Valerie cover (2007 with Mark Ronson) is the dominant Gen-Y/Z anchor; the original Steve Winwood version (1982) is the Gen-X reference.

Who's worn it

Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.

  • Valerie Bertinelli American actress, One Day at a Time and Hot in Cleveland
  • Valerie Plame American author and former CIA officer, outed by the Plame affair in 2003

Spelling variants

  • Valeria
  • Valéria