Valerie (given name)

Valerie
Pronunciation	/ˈvæləri/ VAL-ə-ree
Gender	Female
Origin
Word/name	Latin nomen Valerius
Meaning	Strong, brave (valiant), "Fierce"
Region of origin	France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Scandinavia
Other names
Related names	Valarie, Valeria, Valery, Val

Valerie is generally a feminine given name, derived directly from the French Valérie (a traditionally female name). Valéry or Valery is a masculine given name in parts of Europe (particularly in France and Russia), as well as a common surname in Francophone countries. Another, much rarer, French masculine form of the name is Valère.

Both feminine and masculine forms of Valerie have derivatives in many European languages and are especially common in Russian and other Eastern European languages. The masculine form is not always a cognate of the feminine; it can have a distinct etymology.

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.

Notable people

Valerie Amos, Baroness Amos (born 1954), British politician
Valérie Beauvais (born 1963), French politician
Valerie Bertinelli (born 1960), American actress
Valérie Blass (born 1967), Canadian artist
Val Deakin, New Zealand ballet dancer, choreographer and teacher
Valerie A. Fitzhugh, American pathologist and professor
Valerie French (1928–1990), English actress
Valerie Violet French (1909–1997), English socialite
Valerie Harper, American actress
Valerie Hart (1934–2021), indigenous Guyanese political leader
Valérie Harvey (born 1979), Canadian writer and sociologist
Valerie Hunter Gordon (1921–2016), British inventor of the world's first disposable nappy, and an early sanitary towel system
Valerie Jarrett, American businesswoman and lawyer
Valérie Kaprisky (born 1962), French actress
Valérie Lacroute (born 1965), French politician
Valérie Lang (1966–2013), French actress
Valerie Leon (born 1943), British actress
Valerie Lilley (born 1939), Northern Irish actress
Valerie Morales (born 1976), Puerto Rican singer-songwriter
Valerie Parashumti (born 1987), one of the perpetrators of the 2006 murder of Stacey Mitchell in Perth, Australia
Valerie Plame (born 1963), former CIA officer
Valérie Plante (born 1974), mayor of Montreal
Valérie Quennessen (1957–1989), French film actress
Valerie Sayers (born 1952), American author
Valerie Singleton (born 1937), British TV and radio presenter
Valerie Solanas (1936–1988), American radical feminist infamous for attempting to assassinate Andy Warhol
Valerie Whipps, First Lady of Palau

Religion

Valerie of Limoges, according to legend, an associate of St Martial, a cephalophoric martyr and an important subject of Limoges porcelain.
Valeria of Milan, often known as St Valerie, venerated in Thibodaux, Louisiana
Valeria, a Christian saint martyred with Anesius

Sports

Dame Valerie Adams (born 1984), New Zealand Olympic Shotputter
Valerie French (born 1962), American professional wrestler
Valérie Hénin (born 1967), French boxer
Valérie Létourneau (born 1983), Professional MMA fighter
Valérie Nadaud (born 1968), French race walker
Valerie Sweeting (born 1987), Canadian curler
Valerie Zimring (born 1965), American rhythmic gymnast

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 "Val" Bassett, a minor character on the TV show Will & Grace
Valerie Birkhead, a character in the TV show Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Valerie Brown (also known as "Valerie Smith"), a character in the Josie and the Pussycats franchise
Valerie “Val” Clarke, a dancer from the musical “A Chorus Line”
Valerie Frizzle, character from The Magic School Bus
Valerie Gail, a character in the 1988 film Earth Girls Are Easy
Valerie Gray, a ghost hunter in the cartoon series Danny Phantom
Valerie Lewton, a character from the 2000 film Final Destination
Valerie Malone, a character in TV series Beverly Hills 90210
Valerie Page, a character from the graphic novel V for Vendetta, as well as the 2005 film adaptation
Valerie Pitman, a character in TV series Doctors
Valerie "Val" Tyler, a character from the TV series What I Like About You

Others

List of Wikipedia articles beginning with "Valerie"