2000
#834
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,669
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.96
Uncommon Last name
Valentine
A surname derived from the Latin name Valentinus, meaning "healthy, strong, or powerful."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 44,903 Americans carry the last name Valentine. That puts it at #872 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,633 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Valentine surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Valentine with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
45K
1 in 7,633
Census rank
#872
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
39K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 39,158 bearers of the surname Valentine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 872nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Valentine, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.9%. The next largest groups are Black (22.2%) and Hispanic (8.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Valentine
The surname Valentine is of Latin origin, derived from the Roman name Valentinus, which itself comes from the Latin word "valens" meaning "strong" or "healthy". The name was particularly popular during the Roman Empire and the early Christian era, likely due to the veneration of St. Valentine, a 3rd-century Christian martyr.
In England, the surname Valentine can be traced back to the Norman Conquest of 1066, when many Norman families with the name settled in various parts of the country. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists a landowner named Richard Valentine in Hertfordshire.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Valentine was particularly prevalent in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk, where several notable families bearing the name held lands and estates. One of the earliest recorded examples is that of Sir John Valentine, a prominent landowner in Suffolk who lived in the late 13th century.
In the 16th century, the Valentine family established themselves as prominent merchants and traders in the city of London. One of the most notable members of this family was Benjamin Valentine (c. 1570-1652), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist who served as an alderman and sheriff of London.
Another notable figure was Richard Valentine (1585-1661), an English lawyer and member of Parliament who played a significant role in the English Civil War. He was a staunch Royalist and served as a judge during the Commonwealth period.
In the 17th century, the surname Valentine gained further prominence with the birth of Thomas Valentine (1617-1679), an English clergyman and author who served as the vicar of Whittington in Derbyshire. He is best known for his work "The Spiritual Guide", a popular devotional book of the time.
Across the Atlantic, the Valentine surname can be found among early settlers in colonial America. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of John Valentine, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 and became a prominent landowner and planter in the colony.
Throughout its history, the surname Valentine has been associated with various notable individuals, including the English poet and playwright Robert Valentine (1671-1747), the American Revolutionary War soldier Joseph Valentine (1741-1811), and the British mathematician and mathematician George Valentine (1810-1884).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Valentine
Among Census respondents with the surname Valentine, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.9%. The next largest groups are Black (22.2%) and Hispanic (8.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Valentine bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Valentine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.9% · 25,022
- Black or African American22.2% · 8,710
- Hispanic or Latino8.2% · 3,205
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,693
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 363
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 165
Timeline
Historical Census data for Valentine
Valentine appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,395
+2,726 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 13.69
Rank movement Down 22 places
2020
#872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,158
-1,237 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 13.10
Rank movement Down 16 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #834 | 37,669 | 13.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #856 | 40,395 | 13.69 | +2,726 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 22 places |
| 2020 | #872 | 39,158 | 13.10 | -1,237 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 16 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Valentine surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #856 | #872 | -1.9% |
| Count | 40,395 | 39,158 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 13.69 | 13.10 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Valentine bearers went from 40,395 to 39,158 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 16 positions in the national ranking, going from #856 to #872.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Valentine
FAQ
Valentine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Valentine?
Name Census estimates that about 44,903 living Americans carry the surname Valentine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,633 residents.
How common is Valentine?
Valentine ranks #872 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 39,158 people with the surname Valentine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (44,903), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Valentine.
Has Valentine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Valentine went from 40,395 recorded bearers to 39,158. That is a decrease of 1,237 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #856 to #872.
What does the Census say about the background of Valentine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Valentine, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.9%. The next largest groups are Black (22.2%) and Hispanic (8.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Valentine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.9% (25,022 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Valentine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.9%), Black (22.2%), Hispanic (8.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Valentine (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Valentine mean?
A surname derived from the Latin name Valentinus, meaning "healthy, strong, or powerful." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Valentine (13.10 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Valentine?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.