Girls' name · since 1884
Valerie
Since 1884, U.S. Social Security records show 273,229 babies named Valerie, peaking in 1959. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #145 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #127 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 273,229
- born since 1884
- 1960s
- peak decade
Yes -- Valerie is the #127 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 273,229 recorded since 1884.
Valerie has 273,229 recorded births among girls since 1884, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #127 as of the latest data, more common than 99.3% of girls, busiest in the 1960s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1884 to 2025.
- #145 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #127 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 273,229 born since 1884
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Valerie ranks #145 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #127 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 273,229 born since 1884, peaking in the 1960s.
- #145 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #127 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 273,229
- born since 1884
- 1960s
- peak decade
Valerie's 273,229 recorded births place it above 99.79% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Valerie compares
273,229 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Valerie's all-time total is 727x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Valerie | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 273,229 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 7,302 | 21 | 19,840 |
Valerie's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Valerie's SSA record in two at 1956 and the more recent half accounts for 83% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 17%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1888, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1959 peak of 7,302, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Valerie popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1884–2025
- Peak year (1959)
- 7,302
- Annual births at peak, across 142 years of records
Valerie popularity over time - boys
693 total births recorded since 1936 (Valerie as boys' name)
Valerie by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (56,588 births, 21% of the file).
1960s was Valerie's strongest decade.
56,588 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Valerie births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 32
1880s
32 births
- 1890s 141
1890s
141 births
- 1900s 259
1900s
259 births
- 1910s 1,314
1910s
1,314 births
- 1920s 1,710
1920s
1,710 births
- 1930s 3,960
1930s
3,960 births
- 1940s 13,694
1940s
13,694 births
- 1950s
1950s
52,230 births
- 1960s
1960s
56,588 births
- 1970s
1970s
33,810 births
- 1980s
1980s
34,629 births
- 1990s 22,012
1990s
22,012 births
- 2000s 21,962
2000s
21,962 births
- 2010s 19,013
2010s
19,013 births
- 2020s 11,875
2020s
11,875 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 56,588 births (21% of all-time use).
How Valerie compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Valerie's total volume
Valerie by state
Where Valerie concentrates geographically, total births since 1884
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 43,783 | 16.0% |
| #2 | New York | | 25,898 | 9.5% |
| #3 | Texas | | 23,583 | 8.6% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 14,668 | 5.4% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 13,514 | 4.9% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 10,967 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Florida | | 10,566 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 9,781 | 3.6% |
43,783 of 273,229 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Valerie appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Valerie? ▼
Where does Valerie sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Valerie most popular? ▼
Where is Valerie most popular? ▼
How long has the name Valerie been used? ▼
What names are similar to Valerie? ▼
What to do with Valerie's data
- Valerie's decade-level peak was the 1960s (56,588 total births); usage has since declined to 11,875 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Valeries (43,783 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Valerie
Nearby Names Like Valerie
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Valerie
Compare Valerie side by side: Valerie vs Valeria Valerie vs Valentina Valerie vs Valarie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Valerie
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Valerie: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1959)
Similar record span (~141 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1884–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Valerie draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.