Valerie

#127 for girls in 2025, 2,221 births · Last seen for boys in 2005 at #10,151
Given to girls 99.7% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1959 · 7,302 births
Debut · girls
8 births
In top 100 · girls
36 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
273,229
since 1884

Valerie over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201961peak #60, 1959girls
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#1272,221
2024#1471,991
2023#1441,955
2022#1481,986
2021#1551,840
2020#1441,882
2019#1511,890
2018#1561,802
2017#1671,824
2016#1601,966
2015#1711,880
2014#1761,886
2013#1691,880
2012#1691,863
2011#1591,957
2010#1492,065
2009#1382,321
2008#1352,505
2007#1442,424
2006#1272,752
2005#1672,035#10,1516
2004#1801,905#8,9277
2003#1711,914#10,8945
2002#1552,107#7,0559
2001#1651,982#9,2436
2000#1662,017#9,1126
1999#1592,038
1998#1482,142
1997#1432,224
1996#1542,082
1995#1492,183#7,7926
1994#1592,010
1993#1442,175#6,8167
1992#1362,350
1991#1342,380#5,5219
1990#1292,428#3,46717
1989#1172,562#4,27112
1988#1032,768#4,7869
1987#932,964#3,52113
1986#763,618#2,77918
1985#713,881#2,82817
1984#763,722#2,82416
1983#743,901#2,57718
1982#753,989#2,59618
1981#893,611#3,03014
1980#853,613#2,05826
1979#893,407#2,15723
1978#923,299#2,79915
1977#863,266#2,66516
1976#833,386#3,26411
1975#923,227#3,07812
1974#933,181#2,79913
1973#963,042#2,31117
1972#1003,193#2,02020
1971#1023,679#2,68613
1970#974,130#2,62113
1969#854,300#2,86110
1968#774,550#2,9079
1967#734,757#1,85318
1966#744,816#2,32712
1965#675,648#1,85618
1964#666,616#2,40912
1963#696,172#2,41412
1962#676,335#1,66923
1961#676,677#1,73122
1960#656,717#2,12115
1959#607,302#2,03316
1958#646,920#1,89618
1957#766,231#1,83719
1956#805,909#2,36112
1955#805,512#2,43511
1954#874,917#3,4526
1953#884,591#2,53110
1952#874,263#2,51410
1951#1003,559#3,7145
1950#1163,026#2,5809
1949#1083,052#2,45310
1948#1352,132#3,6685
1947#1841,553
1946#1811,440
1945#1891,079
1944#216915#3,1096
1943#212955
1942#2001,017
1941#229752
1940#214799#2,6718
1939#251622
1938#267551
1937#279494
1936#282453#3,5495
1935#276486
1934#353319
1933#374293
1932#393276
1931#413244
1930#451222
1929#502180
1928#517179
1927#500195
1926#534171
1925#586151
1924#557172
1923#579155
1922#593147
1921#512190
1920#545170
1919#520171
1918#469202
1917#486182
1916#475179
1915#471171
1914#550103
1913#464116
1912#51887
1911#55858
1910#63045
1909#55947
1908#72928
1907#68031
1906#73125
1905#71325
1904#66827
1903#83617
1902#79719
1901#74719
1900#80321
1899#93512
1898#71921
1897#78616
1896#99911
1895#72519
1894#71917
1893#95510
1892#90811
1891#79612
1890#79112
1889#75712
1888#1,2765
1887#9377
1886
1885
1884#7938
1883
1882
1881
1880
First appearance
1884

The first year at least five girls were named Valerie! It came in at #793, and was given to 8 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1885–1886, when fewer than 5 girls a year got the name.

See more about Valerie
Momentum · girls
Holding steady
  • 20 spots since 2024 (#147#127)
  • 17 spots since 2020 (#144#127)
  • 44 spots since 2015 (#171#127)
  • Biggest jump: 519 spots in 1889 (#1,276#757)
  • Biggest drop: 339 spots in 1888 (#937#1,276)
Rise & fade · girls
75 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1884
  • Peaked 1959 at #60 (7,302 births)
  • Births halved by 1972, 13 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 100 for 36 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 36 yrs · run 1951–1970
  • Top 1,000: 139 yrs · run 1889–2025
Share of babies · girls
1 in 277
  • Highest: 1 in 277 girls born in 1959 were named Valerie (0.36%)
  • Latest: 1 in 724 girls born in 2025 (0.14%)
Era · girls
The 1960s
  • 20.7% of all girls named Valerie (56,588) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s32#757 (1889)#941
1890s141#719 (1898)#833
1900s259#559 (1909)#726
1910s1,314#464 (1913)#514
1920s1,710#500 (1927)#543
1930s3,960#251 (1939)#334
1940s13,694#108 (1949)#187
1950s52,230#60 (1959)#84
1960s56,588#65 (1960)#71
1970s33,810#83 (1976)#93
1980s34,629#71 (1985)#86
1990s22,012#129 (1990)#146
2000s21,962#127 (2006)#155
2010s19,013#149 (2010)#163
2020s11,875#127 (2025)#144

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 girls in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Valerie in 1961

girls
#67
6,677 births · 1 in 302 girls
boys
#1,731
22 births · 1 in 96,554 boys

Top girls' names in 1961

  1. #1Mary47,682
  2. #2Lisa42,720
  3. #3Susan37,532
  4. #4Linda35,597
  5. #5Karen34,707
  6. #6Patricia28,889
  7. #7Donna28,679
  8. #8Cynthia24,393
  9. #9Sandra24,153
  10. #10Deborah24,107
  11. #67Valerie6,677

Top boys' names in 1961

  1. #1Michael86,974
  2. #2David84,810
  3. #3John79,983
  4. #4James75,969
  5. #5Robert72,977
  6. #6Mark57,796
  7. #7William48,045
  8. #8Richard41,142
  9. #9Thomas37,565
  10. #10Steven32,275
  11. #1,731Valerie22
More about 1961

girls

2,018,495 girls got a published name in 1961; 1 in 302 of them was named Valerie, which outranked 99.1% of the 7,527 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 16.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Valerie
  1. #64Tracy6,988
  2. #65Beth6,716
  3. #66Beverly6,708
  4. #67Valerie6,677
  5. #68Suzanne6,611
  6. #69Amy6,610
  7. #70Wanda6,467
Biggest movers since 1960
Risers
  1. 997Corinna#1,811#814
  2. 789Sabra#1,637#848
  3. 745Velvet#1,286#541
  4. 601Johnna#1,043#442
  5. 600Damita#1,597#997
Fallers
  1. 317Sheena#980#1,297
  2. 253Lita#909#1,162
  3. 241Jannette#970#1,211
  4. 229Francisca#939#1,168
  5. 214Andra#822#1,036

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

2,124,195 boys got a published name in 1961; 1 in 96,554 of them was named Valerie, which outranked 62.8% of the 4,657 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 29.1% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Valerie
  1. #1,686Sherrill23
  2. #1,686Sherry23
  3. #1,686Timothey23
  4. #1,731Valerie22
  5. #1,731Alonso22
  6. #1,731Alvino22
  7. #1,731Anders22
  8. #1,778Ahmad21
  9. #1,778Anita21
  10. #1,778Aundra21

Tied with 46 names at #1,731; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1960
Risers
  1. 3,171Parrish#4,038#867
  2. 589Brook#1,252#663
  3. 467Osvaldo#1,434#967
  4. 426Shayne#1,152#726
  5. 367Pernell#1,295#928
Fallers
  1. 425Wayde#672#1,097
  2. 380Yancy#923#1,303
  3. 301Jonas#905#1,206
  4. 264Tobin#833#1,097
  5. 253Keenan#748#1,001

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1961