Valla
An old French surname derived from Latin word "vallis" meaning valley.
Name Census estimates that about 81 living Americans carry the first name Valla. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Valla today is around 69 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Valla births was 1918 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Valla. 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 Valla is about 69 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Vallas were born before 1967.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Valla. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
81
~ 1 in 4,231,535 Americans
Peak year
1918
10 babies that year
Average age
69
years old
2023 SSA rank
#15,034
Tracked since 1906
Popularity
Valla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Valla from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 51 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Valla 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 Valla during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vallas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Valla
The name Valla has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language that was once spoken across the Indian subcontinent. The name is believed to have derived from the Sanskrit word "vallabha," which means "beloved" or "lover." This suggests that the name Valla may have been initially given to children as a term of endearment.
In ancient Hindu texts, such as the Vedas and Upanishads, there are references to the name Valla or its variants being used as a personal name. However, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact time period or context in which the name first appeared in these sacred scriptures.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Valla can be found in the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata. In this epic, there is a character named Valla, who was a prince from the kingdom of Kashi (present-day Varanasi). However, not much is known about the significance or background of this character.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Valla. One of the most famous was Lorenzo Valla, an Italian Renaissance humanist and philosopher who lived from 1407 to 1457. He is remembered for his contributions to the field of philology and for his criticism of the Donation of Constantine, a document that purported to grant the Roman emperor Constantine the right to bestow lands on the Pope.
Another notable figure with the name Valla was Giuseppe Valla, an Italian sculptor who lived from 1806 to 1891. He is best known for his works in marble, including the statue of Dante Alighieri located in the Piazza dei Signori in Verona, Italy.
In the field of literature, there was Valla Sata, a Tamil poet and author who lived in the 18th century. He is renowned for his contributions to the Tamil literary tradition, particularly his works on grammar and poetics.
Valla Narasimha Rao, who lived from 1893 to 1941, was an Indian freedom fighter and social reformer. He played a significant role in the Indian independence movement and advocated for the upliftment of the underprivileged communities in his home state of Andhra Pradesh.
Finally, Valla Somayajulu, who lived from 1929 to 2017, was an Indian classical dancer and choreographer. He was widely celebrated for his contributions to the Kuchipudi dance form and his efforts in preserving and promoting Indian classical dance traditions.
While these are just a few examples, the name Valla has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and cultures.
People
Valla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Valla 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
Valla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Valla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 81 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Valla 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 4,231,535 US residents.
Is Valla a common name?
We classify Valla as "Very Rare". It ranks above 61.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 222 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Valla most popular?
The single biggest year for Valla was 1918, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Valla is about 69 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Valla a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Valla 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.