Valerie (given name)
Valerie
Pronunciation/ˈvæləri/VAL-ə-ree
GenderFemale
Origin
Word/nameLatin nomenValerius
MeaningStrong, brave (valiant), "Fierce"
Region of originFrance, England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Scandinavia
Other names
Related namesValarie, Valeria, Valery, Val

Valerie is generally a feminine given name, derived directly from the French Valérie (a traditionally female name).[1][2] 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.

People with the given name

Fictional characters

Others

See also

References

  1. ^Loughead, Flora Haines (1966). Dictionary of given names with origins and meanings. Glendale, California: Arthur H. Clark. p. 227.
  2. ^Hanks, Patrick; Lenarčič, Simon; McClure, Peter, eds. (2022). "Valerie". Dictionary of American Family Names (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780190245115.001.0001. ISBN 9780190245122.
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