Valens
A Latin name meaning "strong" or "vigorous".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Valens. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Valens today is around 3 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Valens births was 2023 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Valens. 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 Valens. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2023
6 babies that year
Average age
3
years old
2024 SSA rank
#14,061
Tracked since 2023
Popularity
Valens: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Valens 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 Valens during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Valens
The name Valens is derived from the Latin word "valens," which means "strong" or "vigorous." It is believed to have originated during the Roman Empire, and its earliest known usage dates back to the 4th century AD.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing this name was Flavius Valens, a Roman emperor who ruled the Eastern Roman Empire from 364 to 378 AD. He is remembered for his unsuccessful campaign against the Goths, which ultimately led to his death in the Battle of Adrianople in 378 AD.
Another prominent figure named Valens was a Roman jurist and legal scholar who lived during the 2nd century AD. He was known for his contributions to the development of Roman law and his legal writings, which were widely studied and referenced by later jurists.
In the Middle Ages, the name Valens appeared in various historical records and chronicles, often associated with noblemen and members of the clergy. One such example is Valens, a Benedictine monk and scholar who lived in the 9th century and was known for his writings on astronomy and mathematics.
During the Renaissance period, the name Valens gained popularity among humanist scholars and intellectuals who were drawn to its classical Roman roots. One notable bearer of this name was Valens Acidalius (1567-1595), a German classical scholar and critic who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek and Latin literature.
In more recent history, the name Valens has been borne by several notable figures, including Valens Comyn (1864-1924), a French artist and painter known for his landscapes and portraits, and Valens Kalep (1914-2001), an Estonian writer and poet who played a significant role in preserving Estonian culture during the Soviet occupation.
Overall, the name Valens has a rich historical legacy, spanning various cultures and time periods, and has been associated with individuals who have made significant contributions in fields such as law, scholarship, literature, and the arts.
People
Valens + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Valens 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
Valens: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Valens?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Valens 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Valens a common name?
We classify Valens as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Valens most popular?
The single biggest year for Valens was 2023, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Valens is about 3 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Valens in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Valens a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Valens 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.
Is Valens still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Valens 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 Valens 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Valens?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Valens at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.