Val
Short form of Valerie and Valentine alike, both of which rest on the Latin verb valere, meaning to be strong or to be healthy.
Val in 2025
Val was given to 22 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 9,923rd most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 150,697 babies born.
The history of Val
Val reached its highest point in 1956, when 253 babies were given the name, ranking 1,059th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 1,034th, in 1952.
Across the 144 years of records since 1882, 7,406 babies have been named Val. Half of them were born before 1953, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Val by decade
| Decade | Babies named Val | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 15 | 1,995 |
| 1890s | 19 | 1,972 |
| 1900s | 65 | 1,669 |
| 1910s | 306 | 1,820 |
| 1920s | 547 | 1,611 |
| 1930s | 868 | 1,209 |
| 1940s | 1,170 | 1,176 |
| 1950s | 2,178 | 1,034 |
| 1960s | 1,216 | 1,258 |
| 1970s | 404 | 2,368 |
| 1980s | 158 | 4,830 |
| 1990s | 151 | 7,032 |
| 2000s | 119 | 9,044 |
| 2010s | 82 | 14,741 |
| 2020s | 108 | 9,134 |
Where Val is heading
Val has risen 69% over the past decade, from 13 babies in 2015 to 22 in 2025.
Names like Val
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Val.