Valerie

Meaning: Its source is Valeria, a Latin name meaning "Vigorous."

In Czech and French, this name is spelled with an accent -- Valérie.

Languages: This girl's name is used in German, English, French and Czech.

Nicknames: Val and Vallie

Alternative Spellings: Valari, Valarie, Valeri, Valery, Valleri, Vallerie, Vallery, Vallirie, Valoree, Valori and Valorie

Variant Forms: Valarae, Valaria, Valerine, Valrie and Valette

Non-English Forms: Valerija and Valeriya

Source Forms: Valeria

Popularity: The name Valerie ranked 161st in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 149th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name is highly rated in the 1990 U.S. Census popularity survey of all ages, but after 1960 does not appear in the state data listing the most popular baby names.

Narrative: Valeria was the feminine form of an ancient Roman family name.

Arts and Music

Valerie Simpson (born 1948)
American songwriter.
- Wrote ''''I''m Every Woman'''' and ''''Who''s Gonna Take the Blame'''' (see list of Songwriters)

Miscellaneous

Valerie Bettis
- 1948 Mademoiselle Award winner (see list of Mademoiselle Award Winners)
Valerie Dickerson
- 1969 Mademoiselle Award winner (see list of Mademoiselle Award Winners)

Sports

Valerie Brisco-Hooks
American athlete.
- 1984 Olympic track and field gold medal winner for 200m and 400m (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Miscellaneous Track Events)

Stage and Screen

Valerie Harper
American actress.
- Portrayed Rhoda Morgenstern from 1970-74 (see list of Actors on ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'')
Valerie Malone
Fictional character.
- Portrayed by Tiffani-Amber Thiessen (see list of Characters on ''Beverly Hills 90210'')
Valerie Perrine (born 1944)
American actress.
- Winner of the 1975 Cannes Film Festival Best Actress award, for Lenny (see list of Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Winners)