Valik
A masculine name meaning "victor" of Russian and Slavic origin.
Name Census estimates that about 15 living Americans carry the first name Valik. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Valik today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Valik births was 2016 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Valik. 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 Valik. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
15
~ 1 in 22,850,289 Americans
Peak year
2016
5 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2023 SSA rank
#14,030
Tracked since 2016
Popularity
Valik: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Valik from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 10 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Valik remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Valik 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 Valik 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 Valik
The given name Valik is believed to have originated from the Slavic languages, particularly Russian and Ukrainian. The name is derived from the diminutive form of the Slavic name Valentin, which itself is derived from the Latin name Valentinus, meaning "strong" or "healthy."
In the early days of Christianity, the name Valentinus was borne by several early Christian martyrs and saints, including Saint Valentine, a 3rd-century Roman priest who was martyred on February 14th, which later became associated with the celebration of romantic love and is now known as Valentine's Day.
The earliest recorded use of the name Valik dates back to the 16th century in Eastern Europe, particularly in the regions of modern-day Russia and Ukraine. During this time, the name was primarily used by members of the nobility and upper classes.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Valik was Valik Ivanov, a Russian nobleman who lived in the late 16th century and served as a military commander during the Time of Troubles in Russia.
Another notable figure with the name Valik was Valik Khmelnytsky, a Ukrainian Cossack leader who played a significant role in the Khmelnytsky Uprising against Polish rule in the mid-17th century.
In the 19th century, the name Valik gained popularity among Russian and Ukrainian writers and artists. Valik Bryullov, a Russian painter and architect born in 1799, was known for his neoclassical and Empire-style works.
Valik Korolenko, a Ukrainian-born Russian writer and human rights activist born in 1853, was renowned for his short stories and advocacy for social justice and the abolition of capital punishment.
In the 20th century, Valik Chkalov, a Soviet aviator born in 1904, became a national hero for his record-breaking long-distance flights and contributions to the development of Soviet aviation.
While the name Valik has been predominantly used in Eastern European countries, it has also been adopted in other parts of the world, particularly among diaspora communities from these regions.
People
Valik + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Valik 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
Valik: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Valik?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 15 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Valik 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 22,850,289 US residents.
Is Valik a common name?
We classify Valik as "Very Rare". It ranks above 35.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Valik most popular?
The single biggest year for Valik was 2016, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Valik is about 7 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 Valik in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Valik a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Valik 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 Valik still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Valik 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 Valik 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 have the name Valik?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Valik, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.