Valerie

Valerie is a traditionally feminine name with English and French origins. It can mean "brave," courtesy of its most obvious Latin root word, "valiant," and is also said to mean "strong" or even "healthy." Valerie is the feminine of the Roman family clan name, Valerius.

Girl names that mean "brave" in other languages include: Bertuska (Russian); Cacee, Casey, Kelci or Caci (Gaelic/Celtic/Irish), Kemena (Spanish), and Valentina (Italian). Other names with similar meanings (strong or brave) include Andrea, Bedelia, Briana, Ernestine, Kiah, Mildred, Minka, Rita, and Sage. Or stick with V- names if you love Valerie; Val, Valentine, Vera, Verna, Vanessa, Victoria, Vicky, Veronica, Vivian, and Violet are all lovely choices.

Popularity-wise, Valerie started showing up in the U.S. in the 1880s, and its top usage year was 1959, making it ready for a reboot! By the 2010s, Valerie's peak was over and the name had dropped back down to about where it ranked in the 1940s prior to its rise.

Famous Valeries include British Baroness Valerie Amos, French politician Valérie Beauvais, businesswoman Valerie Jarrett, author Valerie martin, and actors Valerie Bertinelli, Valerie French, Valerie Leon, Valerie Lilley, and Valerie Harper.

Valerie in quotes:

“When you're busy blocking out difficult emotions and feelings, you're not going to feel the good stuff, either. ”
― Valerie Bertinelli

“She felt she had been created by the demands of others, by their insatiable appetite for something beyond ordinary life. They craved a world without death and they had spotted her, in their hunger, like wolves alert to any poor sheep that might stray from the fold and stand gazing ignorantly up at the stars.”
― Valerie Martin, 'The Ghost of the Mary Celeste'