Valene
A feminine name derived from the French word "vallon" meaning "valley".
Name Census estimates that about 640 living Americans carry the first name Valene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Valene today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Valene births was 1983 (64 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Valene. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Valene with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
640
~ 1 in 535,554 Americans
Peak year
1983
64 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
2015 SSA rank
#18,926
Tracked since 1910
Census
Valene in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 811 people with the first name Valene, which placed it at #14,514 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#14,514
National first-name rank
People counted
811
811 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
54.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Valene
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Valene is White at 54.4%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Hispanic (14.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Valene described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Valene at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.4% · 441
- Black or African American18.0% · 146
- Hispanic or Latino14.8% · 120
- American Indian and Alaska Native6.4% · 52
- Two or more races3.3% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.1% · 25
Popularity
Valene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Valene from the 1910s through to the 2010s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 369 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Valene 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 Valene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Valenes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, New York, Utah recorded the most babies named Valene, while Colorado, Texas, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 21 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Valene
The name Valene is believed to have originated from the Latin word "valens," which means "strong" or "vigorous." Its roots can be traced back to ancient Rome, where it was likely used as a descriptive name for someone who possessed physical strength or resilience.
In the early centuries of the Christian era, Valene emerged as a name bestowed upon individuals within the Roman Empire. While it did not appear in any significant historical texts or religious scriptures from that period, its usage can be found in some Roman records and inscriptions.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Valene was a Roman soldier who lived during the 3rd century AD. Unfortunately, details about his life and accomplishments have been lost to history.
In the Middle Ages, the name Valene experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly in regions influenced by Latin-derived languages, such as Italy and France. During this time, it was often spelled as "Valène" or "Valene."
One notable historical figure with this name was Valene de Château-Regnault, a 13th-century French noblewoman and landowner (born circa 1210, died circa 1280). She played a significant role in the administration of her family's estates and was known for her fair and just leadership.
Another individual of note was Valene di Firenze (born 1387, died 1459), an Italian painter and friar who was part of the Early Renaissance art movement. His works, which often depicted religious themes, can still be found in various churches and museums throughout Italy.
In the 16th century, Valene Descartes (1596-1650), a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist, gained widespread recognition for his contributions to the fields of philosophy and mathematics. His famous quote, "Cogito, ergo sum" ("I think, therefore I am"), has become a cornerstone of modern Western philosophy.
During the 18th century, Valene Brontë (1768-1842) was a British novelist and poet, best known for her semi-autobiographical novel, "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall." She was part of the acclaimed Brontë literary family and played a significant role in the development of the Gothic fiction genre.
Throughout history, the name Valene has been associated with individuals who possessed strength, resilience, and a deep appreciation for the arts and sciences. While its usage may have fluctuated over time, it has remained a name with a rich cultural heritage and enduring appeal.
People
Valene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Valene 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
Valene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Valene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 640 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Valene 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 535,554 US residents.
Is Valene a common name?
We classify Valene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 901 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Valene most popular?
The single biggest year for Valene was 1983, when 64 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Valene is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Valene in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 811 people with the name Valene, or 0.27 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,514 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Valene in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Valene?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Valene leans strongly female. 802 people counted with this name were female (98.8%), compared with 10 male bearers (1.2%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Valene?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Valene is White at 54.4%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Hispanic (14.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Valene most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Valene in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.4% (441 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Valene in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Valene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Valene in the SSA data are female. 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.
Is Valene still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Valene in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Valene can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How common is the name Valene?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Valene at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.