Valentine

Latin

"strength, health"

Valentine Origin and Meaning

The name Valentine is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "strength, health".

Valentine is an attractive Shakespearean name with romantic associations, but those very ties to the saint and the sentimental holiday have sent it into a decline, one which we think may be about to turn around.

The name's best known bearer is the third century martyr St. Valentine, whose feast day of February 14 coincided with the pagan fertility festival of the goddess Juno, all of which led to the modern Valentine's Day. This makes Valentine one of the most perfect names for February babies.

There are two Shakespearean characters named Valentine: one in Twelfth Night, and the other belonging to one of the two gentlemen in Two Gentlemen of Verona.

Valentine was the name of the father of James Bond-creator Ian Fleming, the young Humphrey Bogart played a dashing con artist named Valentine Corliss in an early film, The Bad Sister, and Kevin Bacon was Valentine McKee in the 1990 sci fi movie Tremors. Valentine Michael Smith is a major character in Robert Heinlein's classic, Stranger in a Strange Land.

Though Valentine hasn't been in the U.S. Top 1000 for over half a century, it's currently in the Top 100 in France and Belgium.

Ricky Martin chose the even more romantic Latin Valentino for one of his twins, and the feminine Valentina was given to the daughters of Salma Hayek, Adriana Lima and Lolita Davidovich. And trivia tidbit: Valentine was the middle name of writer Henry Miller.

Valentine Rank in US Top 1000

# 940 in the US

Valentine Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 554 on Nameberry

Valentine Popularity

• 554 Nameberry 2024
• 902 Unique 2023
• 375 Unisex 2023

20 Names Similar to Valentine

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Valentine.

• Constantine
• Valentine
• Florian
• Peregrine
• Oberon
• Wolfgang
• Lazarus
• Lucius
• Percival
• Valerian
• Isidore
• Jupiter
• Lysander
• Moss
• Zacharias
• Angel
• Clement
• Augustine
• Remus
• Jules

Famous People Named Valentine

• Valentine Cary English Bishop of Exeter
• Saint Valentine Roman patron of love
• Valentine ninth,century pope
• Valentine Warner British chef and TV presenter
• Valentine Dyall English actor
• Valentine Fleming English MP and father of Ian Fleming
• Valentine "Val" Page English motorcycle designer
• Valentine Abt American composer and mandolin player
• Valentine Gill "Vallie" Hall III American tennis player
• Valentine Penrose French surrealist poet
• Valentine Quin 1st Earl of Dunraven and Mount,Earl, Irish peer
• Henry Valentine Miller American novelist
• Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti American actor
• Valentine "Val" McCallum musician and son of David McCallum
• Valentine Anthony Rolph (b. 2006) son of American actress Mary Lynn Rajskub
• Audie Valentine Burrows son of Darren Burrows
• Kannon Valentine James (b. 2011) son of actor Kevin James

Valentine in Pop Culture

• Valentine Morgenstern psychopath shadowhunter in "The Mortal Instruments" series by Cassandra Clare
• Valentine Michael Smith character in Robert A. Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land"
• Valentine Monty character in "Sims" series
• Valentine spelled Volantynys, in Geoffrey Chaucer's 'Parlement of Foules'
• "Like St. Valentine " song by Finnish band HIM
• Valentine a roguish masked juggler in the movie "Mirrormask"
• Nick Valentine detective in Fallout 4
• Valentine Coverly is a character in Tom Stoppard's Broadway play "Arcadia"