Valdis
A feminine Latvian name derived from "valdītājs" meaning "ruler, lord".
Name Census estimates that about 69 living Americans carry the first name Valdis. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Valdis today is around 61 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Valdis births was 1971 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Valdis. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Valdis. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
69
~ 1 in 4,967,454 Americans
Peak year
1971
13 babies that year
Average age
61
years old
1978 SSA rank
#6,715
Tracked since 1952
Popularity
Valdis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Valdis from the 1950s through to the 1970s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 40 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Valdis by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Valdis during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Valdis
The name Valdis originates from Latvia, a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is a masculine given name derived from the Old Prussian word "waldis," meaning "ruler" or "sovereign." The name has its roots in the ancient Balto-Slavic language family, which dates back to the 3rd century BCE.
The earliest recorded use of the name Valdis can be traced back to the 13th century, during the period of the Northern Crusades. It was a popular name among the noble families of the Baltic region, particularly in Latvia and Lithuania. In the 14th century, Valdis was mentioned in the Livonian Chronicle, a historical record of the Livonian Confederation, which governed parts of modern-day Estonia and Latvia.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Valdis was Valdis Grube, a Latvian military commander who fought against the Teutonic Knights in the 14th century. He is celebrated as a hero in Latvian folklore for his bravery and leadership during the Baltic Crusades.
In the 16th century, Valdis Cakars was a prominent Latvian humanist, scholar, and poet. His works played a significant role in the development of Latvian literature and the preservation of the Latvian language during the Reformation period.
Another notable figure with the name Valdis was Valdis Zatlers, a Latvian politician who served as the President of Latvia from 2007 to 2011. He was born in 1955 and played a crucial role in Latvia's transition to democracy after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Valdis Dombrovskis, born in 1971, is a Latvian politician who has served as the European Commissioner for Trade and as the Vice-President of the European Commission. He is considered one of the most influential Latvians on the international political stage.
Valdis Muižnieks, born in 1964, is a Latvian human rights activist and academic. He served as the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe from 2012 to 2018, advocating for the protection of human rights and democracy across Europe.
While the name Valdis is predominantly found in Latvia and the Baltic region, it has also gained recognition in other parts of the world due to the influence of Latvian culture and the diaspora. Throughout its history, the name Valdis has been associated with strength, leadership, and sovereignty, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the Baltic region.
People
Valdis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Valdis as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Valdis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Valdis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 69 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Valdis going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 4,967,454 US residents.
Is Valdis a common name?
We classify Valdis as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 82 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Valdis most popular?
The single biggest year for Valdis was 1971, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Valdis is about 61 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Valdis a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Valdis in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.