Find out how popular the last name Valentin is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Valentin.

Valentin, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Valentin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Valentin in America

Valentin is the 1868th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Valentin surname appeared 19,211 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Valentin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Valentin to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Valentin

The surname Valentin has its origins in France and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Latin name Valentinus, which means "strong" or "vigorous." The name was originally given to a child born on the 14th of February, the day of the feast of Saint Valentine.

In the Middle Ages, the name Valentin was particularly common in the regions of Normandy and Brittany. It appears in several medieval records, including the Cartulaire de Saint-Père de Chartres, a collection of charters from the 12th century.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Valentin was Valentin de Brie, a French nobleman who lived in the late 12th century. He was a vassal of the Count of Champagne and is mentioned in several contemporary documents related to land disputes.

During the 13th century, the surname Valentin began to spread across Europe, with notable bearers including Valentin de Luxemburg (c. 1230-1288), a German nobleman and knight who fought in the Crusades.

In the 14th century, the surname Valentin was well-established in France and appeared in various forms, such as Valentyn, Valentyne, and Valentin. One notable bearer from this period was Jehan Valentin (c. 1320-1380), a French poet and musician who served at the court of King Charles V.

Over the centuries, the surname Valentin has been carried by numerous individuals of note, including:

1. Pierre Valentin (1537-1597), a French physician and botanist who made significant contributions to the study of plant anatomy.
2. Benjamin Valentin (1685-1754), a German engraver and painter known for his intricate copperplate engravings.
3. Gabriel Gustav Valentin (1810-1883), a German anatomist and physiologist who made important discoveries in the field of embryology.
4. Basile Valentin (1815-1878), a French painter and illustrator known for his depictions of rural life in Normandy.
5. Juan Valentin (1923-2011), a Puerto Rican artist and sculptor renowned for his abstract metal sculptures.

While the surname Valentin is most commonly associated with France, it has also been adopted by families in other countries, including Germany, Spain, and various Latin American nations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Valentin

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Valentin.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Valentin was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Valentin has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Valentin was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Valentin, please contact us.

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