Valerie

‘Strong’ or ‘healthy’, through the Latin root of Valeria.

Valerie is a feminine name with Latin roots: through Valeria and the Roman family name Valerius, it reaches the verb valere, ‘to be strong’ or ‘to be well’. The familiar meaning ‘strong’ therefore comes through a name family, rather than from a modern descriptive word. Its sound offers an interesting counterpoint to that meaning. The l and r keep Valerie moving, and the -ie ending gives it a light finish. To our ear it is graceful rather than forceful, with enough shape to feel like a complete formal name. Valerie is used in English and German; the related French spelling is Valérie. The English pronunciation shown here starts with the vowel in cat.

Etymology: Valerie belongs to the Latin Valeria family, the feminine counterpart of the Roman family name Valerius. That name is linked to valere, ‘to be strong’ or ‘to be well’; French Valérie is part of the name’s transmission.