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Valerie (given name)

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Valerie
Pronunciation/ˈvæləri/ VAL-ə-ree
GenderFemale
Origin
Word/nameLatin nomen Valerius
MeaningStrong, brave (valiant), "Fierce"
Region of originFrance, England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Scandinavia
Other names
Related namesValarie, Valeria, Valery, Val

Valerie is generally a feminine given name, derived directly from the French Valérie (a traditionally female 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 countries. Another, much rarer, French masculine form of the name is Valère.

Both feminine and masculine forms have derivatives in many European languages and are especially common in Russian and other Eastern European languages. The masculine form is not always a cognate of the feminine; it can have a distinct etymology.

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, given names always related the individual to a saint, 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, 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 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” [valri] and “Saint-Valéry” [valeri] are 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

Religion

Sports

Fictional characters

Others

See also

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