Valentine

Did you know?

A few things about Valentine you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Valentine

Valentine Telegdi

American physicist (1922–2006)

Choose Valentine and your child shares a first name with Valentine Telegdi, an American physicist. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Valentine, like who?” Valentine Telegdi's Wikipedia article is available in 22 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Valentine Telegdi on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Karsh, Yousuf, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 19,194 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Valentine, 89 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Valentine would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryValentine has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Valentines, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1894, when it ranked #358. Today it's #1,793, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📈Then vs nowValentine is 5.1× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 98,039 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 19,194.
• 🚀TrendValentine has climbed 712 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #1,793. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedValentine is most popular in Indiana, where it ranks #844, followed by Colorado (#849). It's in the top 1,000 in 2 states.
• ⚖️Boy or girlValentine is given to both boys and girls: 56% of the 159 babies named Valentine in 2025 were boys. That makes it one of the names that truly works for either.
• 💬MeaningIn Latin, Valentine means “strong, healthy”. Our records link it to English, French and Latin roots.

About the name Valentine

Valentine is a gender-neutral name of English, French and Latin origin meaning “strong, healthy”. It has 9 letters and 3 syllables, starting with V and ending in “-ine”. US birth records list Valentine for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1894, when it ranked #358 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #1,793, with 89 babies. Of the 159 US babies named Valentine in 2025, 44% were girls and 56% were boys.

Origin:English namesFrench namesLatin names