Valerie is generally a feminine given name, derived directly from the French ''Valérie'' (a female-only 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 French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the l ...

countries. Another, much rarer, French masculine form can be Valère. Both feminine and masculine forms have derivatives in many European languages and are especially common in Russian and other Eastern European languages. However, the masculine form is not always a cognate of the feminine: it can have a distinct

etymology Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...

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 The Catholic Church in Europe is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See in Rome, including represented Eastern Catholic missions. Demographically, Catholics are the largest religious group in Europe. Demograp ...

, given names always related the individual to a

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

, 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 In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, as well as 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 on the very important

Way of St James The Camino de Santiago ( la, Peregrinatio Compostellana, "Pilgrimage of Compostela"; gl, O Camiño de Santiago), known in English as the Way of St James, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint ...

and, as a cephalophore, she became a favourite subject for the early modern ceramics industry. The majority of the variant spellings are of recent, mainly 20th century, origin, with fashions often following the forms adopted in popular songs.

Germanic

The modern masculine given name Valéry is ambiguous. While generally a cognate of Valérie, it can also be 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” alriand “Saint-Valéry” aleriare 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 Valerie Ann Amos, Baroness Amos, (born 13 March 1954) is a British Labour Party politician and diplomat who served as the eighth UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. Before her appointment to ...

(born 1954), British politician *

Valerie Bertinelli Valerie Anne Bertinelli (born April 23, 1960) is an American actress. She first achieved recognition as a child actress, portraying Barbara Cooper Royer on the sitcom ''One Day at a Time (1975 TV series), One Day at a Time'' (1975–1984) for w ...

, American actress * Valerie French, English actress *

Valerie Violet French Violet Valerie French Brougham Kindersley (13 February 1909 – 18 July 1997) was a Natal-born English socialite. She and her sister Essex Leila Hilary French were known as the "French sisters" and included in ''The Book of Beauty'' by Cecil Beat ...

(1909-1997), English socialite *

Valerie Harper Valerie Kathryn Harper (August 22, 1939 – August 30, 2019) was an American actress. She began her career as a dancer on Broadway, making her debut as a replacement in the musical ''Li'l Abner''. She is best remembered for her role as Rhod ...

, American actress *

Valerie Hart Valerie Paul Hart (March 13, 1933February 26, 2021) was an indigenous political leader from the Wapishana ethnic group and a member of Guyana's Amerindian Party, opposed to the Forbes Burnham government; she ran for the 1968 general elections, a ...

(1934–2021), indigenous political leader * Valerie Jarrett, American businesswoman and lawyer * Valerie Leon, British actress * Valerie Lilley, Northern Irish actress * Valerie Morales, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter *Valerie Parashumti (born 1987), one of the perpetrators of the 2006

murder of Stacey Mitchell Stacey Mitchell (June 17, 1990 – 18 December 2006) was a British-born girl living in Australia who was murdered at the age of 16, on 18 December 2006, by couple Jessica Stasinowsky and Valerie Parashumti. She was bludgeoned with a concrete bloc ...

in Perth, Australia *

Valerie Plame Valerie Elise Plame (born August 13, 1963) is an American writer, spy novelist, and former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer. As the subject of the 2003 Plame affair, also known as the CIA leak scandal, Plame's identity as a CIA officer ...

, former CIA officer *

Valerie Sayers Valerie Sayers (born 1952) is an American writer and the author of six novels: ''The Powers'' (2013); ''Brain Fever'' (1996); ''The Distance Between Us'' (1994); ''Who Do You Love'' (1991); ''How I Got Him Back, or, Under the Cold Moon’s Shine'' ...

, American author * Valerie Singleton, British TV and radio presenter * Valerie Solanas (1936–1988), author of feminist book ''SCUM Manifesto'' * Valerie Whipps, First Lady of Palau

Religion

* Valerie of Limoges, according to legend, an associate of

St Martial Saint Martial (3rd century), called "the Apostle of the Gauls" or "the Apostle of Aquitaine", was the first bishop of Limoges. His feast day is 30 June. Life There is no accurate information as to the origin, dates of birth and death, or the acts ...

, a cephalophoric martyr and an important subject of

Limoges Limoges (, , ; oc, Lemòtges, locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region ...

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises mainl ...

. *

Valeria of Milan Saint Valeria of Milan (d. 1st or 2nd century), or Saint Valérie, according to Christian tradition, was the wife of Vitalis of Milan and the mother of Sts. Gervasius and Protasius. History "Some modern writers contend that she may have been a ch ...

, often known as St Valerie, venerated in Thibodaux, Louisiana * Valeria, a Christian saint martyred with Anesius

Sports

Dame Valerie Adams Dame Valerie Kasanita Adams (formerly Vili; born 6 October 1984) is a retired New Zealand shot putter. She is a four-time World champion, four-time World Indoor champion, two-time Olympic, three-time Commonwealth Games champion and twice IAAF ...

, New Zealand Olympic Shotputter * Valerie French, American professional wrestler *

Valerie Sweeting Valerie Sweeting (born July 9, 1987 in Redvers, Saskatchewan) is a Canadian curler from Lottie Lake, Alberta She currently plays third for Team Kerri Einarson. Sweeting skipped Alberta to a silver medal at the and Scotties Tournament of Hea ...

, Canadian curler * Valerie Zimring, 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 ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...

'' * Valerie "Val" Bassett, a minor character on the TV show '' Will & Grace'' * Valerie Birkhead, a character in the TV show ''

Sabrina the Teenage Witch ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a fictional character, fictional American teenager named Sabrina Spellman. Sabrina was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo ...

'' * Valerie Brown (also known as "Valerie Smith"), a character in the ''

Josie and the Pussycats Josie and the Pussycats (sometimes simply known as The Pussycats) are a fictional girl group rock band created by Dan DeCarlo. Appearances They have been featured in a number of different media since the 1960s: * ''Josie and the Pussycats'' (comic ...

'' franchise * 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 ''Danny Phantom'' is an American animated superhero action adventure television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. The series follows Danny Fenton, a teenage boy who, after an accident with an unpredictable portal between the human ...

'' * Valerie Lewton, a character from the 2000 film '' Final Destination'' * Valerie Malone, a character in TV series ''

Beverly Hills 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to by its short title, ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling under his production company Spelling Television. The series ran fo ...

'' * Valerie Page, a character from the graphic novel ''

V for Vendetta ''V for Vendetta'' is a British graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd (with additional art by Tony Weare). Initially published between 1982 and 1985 in black and white as an ongoing serial in the British antholog ...

'', as well as

V for Vendetta (film) ''V for Vendetta'' is a 2005 dystopian political action film directed by James McTeigue (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by the Wachowskis. It is based on the 1988 DC Vertigo Comics limited series of the same title b ...

* Valerie Pitman, a character in TV series ''

Doctors Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

'' * Valerie "Val" Tyler, a character from the TV series '' What I Like About You''

Others

* List of Wikipedia articles beginning with "Valerie"

Given name Valérie

Valérie Beauvais Valérie Beauvais (born 8 March 1963) is a French politician of The Republicans (LR) who represented Marne's 1st constituency in the National Assembly from the 2017 election until 2022. Political career Beauvis succeeded Arnaud Robinet at ...

(born 1963), French politician *

Valérie Lacroute Valérie Lacroute (born 29 October 1965) is a French politician who represented Seine-et-Marne's 2nd constituency in the National Assembly of France from 2012 to 2020. She left Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliam ...

(born 1965), French politician *

Valérie Lang Valérie Suzanne Rose Lang (24 March 1966 – 22 July 2013) was a French actress of stage, screen and television. She was educated at the Conservatoire National d'Art Dramatique in Paris under the tutelage of Jean-Pierre Vincent. Lang partook in ...

(1966–2013), French actress * Valérie Létourneau, Professional MMA fighter *

Valérie Nadaud Valérie Lévêque-Nadaud (born 16 March 1968 in Soyaux, Charente) is a retired female race walker from France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overse ...

(born 1968), French race walker *

Valérie Kaprisky Valérie Kaprisky ( Chérès; born 19 August 1962) is a French actress. Life and career She was born Valerie Chérès on 19 August 1962 in Neuilly-sur-Seine. Kaprisky is her Polish mother's maiden name. She is of Greek-Ottoman and Argentine de ...

(born 1962), French actress *

Valérie Quennessen Valérie Quennessen (3 December 1957 – 19 March 1989) was a French theatre and film actress. Biography Quennessen was born near Paris in Boulogne-Billancourt, of Jewish French/Polish parentage, and dedicated much of her childhood to pursuing ...

(1957–1989), French film actress