Valkyrie
A feminine name derived from Norse mythology, referring to powerful maidens who escorted fallen warriors to Valhalla.
Name Census estimates that about 1,202 living Americans carry the first name Valkyrie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Valkyrie today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Valkyrie births was 2022 (153 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Valkyrie. 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
- • Valkyrie is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 8 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 285,153 Americans
Peak year
2022
153 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,816
Tracked since 1992
Popularity
Valkyrie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Valkyrie from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 646 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
Valkyrie 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 Valkyrie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Valkyries live
The SSA's state-level files cover 21 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Valkyrie, while Pennsylvania, Oregon, Missouri recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 22 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Valkyrie
The name Valkyrie originates from Old Norse, the language spoken by Norse people in Scandinavia during the Viking Age, from around the 8th to the 11th century. The name is derived from the Old Norse word "valkyrja," which means "chooser of the slain." In Norse mythology, valkyries were female figures who decided which warriors would die in battle and which would live.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Valkyrie can be found in Old Norse texts and sagas, such as the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, which were written down in the 13th century but are based on much older oral traditions. The valkyries were often depicted as fierce and beautiful maidens who rode on horses and carried spears, and they were closely associated with the god Odin.
One of the most famous valkyries in Norse mythology was Brynhildr, who appears in the Völsunga saga and the Nibelungenlied. She was a powerful shieldmaiden who defied Odin and was punished by being forced to sleep surrounded by a ring of fire until a mortal hero could rescue her.
Throughout history, the name Valkyrie has been used by notable individuals, although it was not a common name until more recent times. One of the earliest recorded people with the name was Valkyrie Olesen (1874-1943), a Danish painter and illustrator who was known for her intricate pen-and-ink drawings.
Another notable Valkyrie was Valkyrie Ascension Brewster (1879-1943), an American actress and dancer who performed in vaudeville and on Broadway in the early 20th century. She was known for her daring and athletic performances, which often involved acrobatics and stunts.
In the realm of literature, Valkyrie was the name of a character in the novel "The Mists of Avalon" by Marion Zimmer Bradley, published in 1983. The character was a powerful priestess and healer in the Celtic tradition.
More recently, Valkyrie Huber (born 1996) is an American professional wrestler who performs under the ring name Valkyrie. She is known for her strength and athleticism in the ring.
It's worth noting that while the name Valkyrie has its roots in Norse mythology, it has also been adopted and used in various cultures and languages around the world, often with variations in spelling or pronunciation.
People
Valkyrie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Valkyrie 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
Valkyrie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Valkyrie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,202 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Valkyrie 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 285,153 US residents.
Is Valkyrie a common name?
We classify Valkyrie as "Rare". It ranks above 91.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,211 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Valkyrie most popular?
The single biggest year for Valkyrie was 2022, when 153 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Valkyrie is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Valkyrie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Valkyrie 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.
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.