Vallarie

Meaning & origin

Vallarie is a respelling of Valerie, a name with Latin roots meaning 'to be strong.' First recorded in U.S. birth data in 1950, the name saw its peak usage in 1960, though it never entered the top 1000 names. After 1960, its use dropped sharply and has remained stable but low, with fewer than five annual births in most recent years. The name is almost exclusively given to girls. As a modern spelling variant, Vallarie reflects a trend of phonetic respellings that emerged mid-century, though it never achieved widespread adoption.

Vallarie is a respelling of Valerie, which derives from the Latin verb valere (to be strong, to be healthy). Valerie entered English in the 19th century, borrowed from French Valérie, itself from Latin Valeria, the feminine form of the Roman family name Valerius. The Vallarie spelling emerged in mid-20th-century United States as a modern respelling, reflecting phonetic variation and a preference for distinctive spellings.