Valette
A feminine French diminutive name possibly derived from the valley surname.
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Valette. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Valette today is around 66 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Valette births was 1964 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Valette. 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
- • The typical person named Valette is about 66 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Valettes were born before 1970.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Valette. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1964
6 babies that year
Average age
66
years old
1964 SSA rank
#6,734
Tracked since 1931
Popularity
Valette: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Valette from the 1930s through to the 1960s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 11 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
Valette 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 Valette 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 Valette
The name Valette is a French diminutive form of the name Valentin, which is derived from the Latin name Valentinus. The name Valentinus itself is derived from the Latin word "valens," meaning "strong" or "healthy." The name is believed to have originated in the late Roman period, around the 3rd or 4th century AD.
One of the earliest known references to the name Valette can be found in the records of the Catholic Church. Saint Valette was a 4th-century martyr who was killed during the persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Her feast day is celebrated on April 14th in the Catholic Church.
In the Middle Ages, the name Valette was relatively uncommon, but it did appear in various historical records and documents. One notable example is Valette de Nogaret, a 13th-century French noblewoman who was the wife of Guillaume de Nogaret, a powerful advisor to King Philip IV of France.
During the Renaissance period, the name Valette gained some popularity, particularly in France and Italy. One notable figure from this time was Jean Parisot de Valette, a 16th-century French nobleman and knight of the Order of St. John. He is best known for leading the successful defense of the island of Malta against the Ottoman Empire in 1565, during the Great Siege of Malta.
In the 17th century, Valette Bourgoing was a French diplomat and author who served as the French ambassador to various European courts. He was born in 1619 and is known for his writings on diplomacy and international relations.
Another notable figure with the name Valette was Marie-Anne de la Valette, a 17th-century French noblewoman and courtier at the court of King Louis XIV. She was born in 1644 and is remembered for her involvement in various court intrigues and scandals during the reign of the Sun King.
In more recent history, Valette Poulain was a 19th-century French painter and illustrator who was active in the late 1800s. She is best known for her illustrations of children's books and her portraits of French aristocracy.
Overall, the name Valette has a rich history that spans centuries and cultures, with its roots firmly planted in the Latin and French traditions. While it may not be as common today as it once was, the name carries a sense of strength and resilience, reflecting the qualities of those who bore it throughout history.
People
Valette + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Valette 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
Valette: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Valette?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Valette 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 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Valette a common name?
We classify Valette as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 16 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Valette most popular?
The single biggest year for Valette was 1964, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Valette is about 66 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 Valette in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Valette a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Valette 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 Valette still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Valette 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 Valette 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 many people share the name Valette?
You can see how many people have the name Valette on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.