Valynn
A feminine name derived from the French name Valerie, meaning "brave, strong".
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the first name Valynn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Valynn today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Valynn births was 2018 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Valynn. 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.
People living today
117
~ 1 in 2,929,524 Americans
Peak year
2018
12 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,327
Tracked since 1955
Census
Valynn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 182 people with the first name Valynn, which placed it at #40,748 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#40,748
National first-name rank
People counted
182
182 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
63.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Valynn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Valynn is White at 63.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Two or More Races (11.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Valynn described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Valynn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.7% · 116
- Black or African American11.5% · 21
- Two or more races11.5% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino7.7% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.2% · 4
Popularity
Valynn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Valynn from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 74 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Valynn remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Valynn 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 Valynn 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 Valynn
The given name Valynn is believed to have originated from the Old English language, where it was derived from the combination of two words: "val" meaning "valor" or "bravery," and "ynn" meaning "friend" or "companion." This suggests that the name may have been initially used to describe someone who was a brave and loyal friend or ally.
The earliest known record of the name Valynn dates back to the 9th century, when it was mentioned in an ancient Anglo-Saxon manuscript. This manuscript documented the exploits of a warrior named Valynn, who was celebrated for his courageous acts during battles against invading forces.
Historically, the name Valynn was predominantly found in regions of England and parts of Scotland, where it was commonly used by families with Anglo-Saxon roots. Over time, it spread to other parts of Europe and eventually made its way to the Americas through immigration.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Valynn was Valynn of Mercia, a nobleman who lived in the 10th century and played a significant role in the unification of the Kingdom of England under King Athelstan.
Another notable figure was Valynn the Scribe, a 12th-century monk who was renowned for his beautiful calligraphy and his contributions to preserving historical manuscripts in monasteries.
In the 15th century, there was a famous English archer named Valynn Longbow, who was celebrated for his skills in archery and his service in the Hundred Years' War.
During the 16th century, a Scottish explorer named Valynn MacKenzie made his mark by leading expeditions to the Americas and establishing settlements in what is now Nova Scotia, Canada.
The name Valynn also appeared in literary works, such as the epic poem "Beowulf," where a character named Valynn was depicted as a brave and loyal warrior who fought alongside the legendary hero Beowulf.
While the name Valynn has fallen out of widespread use in modern times, it remains a part of historical records and literary works, serving as a reminder of its rich heritage and the bravery and loyalty associated with those who bore this name throughout history.
People
Valynn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Valynn 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
Valynn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Valynn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 117 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Valynn 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 2,929,524 US residents.
Is Valynn a common name?
We classify Valynn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 121 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Valynn most popular?
The single biggest year for Valynn was 2018, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Valynn is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Valynn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 182 people with the name Valynn, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #40,748 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Valynn in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Valynn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Valynn leans strongly female. 181 people counted with this name were female (98.9%), compared with 2 male bearers (1.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Valynn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Valynn is White at 63.7%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Two or More Races (11.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Valynn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Valynn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.7% (116 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Valynn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Valynn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Valynn 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 Valynn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Valynn 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 Valynn 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.
How many people are named Valynn?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.