unisex name
Val
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 1
- Letters 3
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 7,406
Val is a unisex name with 1 syllable. It is given to both girls and boys — about 24% of recorded births with this name are girls. In 2025 it was given to 22 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
- Peaked in 1956, when 253 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1950s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 150,716 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1882.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Val over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 15 |
| 1890s | 19 |
| 1900s | 65 |
| 1910s | 306 |
| 1920s | 547 |
| 1930s | 868 |
| 1940s | 1,170 |
| 1950s | 2,178 |
| 1960s | 1,216 |
| 1970s | 404 |
| 1980s | 158 |
| 1990s | 151 |
| 2000s | 119 |
| 2010s | 82 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 108 |
How popular is Val?
In 2025, Val was given to 22 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Val
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Val also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Val over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Sibling names for Val
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Val — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Val
How popular is the name Val?
In 2025, Val was given to 22 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Val a girl's or a boy's name?
Val is used for both girls and boys. About 24% of recorded births with this name are girls.
How many syllables are in Val?
Val has 1 syllable.
When was Val most popular?
Val peaked in 1956, when 253 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1950s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
Is Val a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Val currently ranks #4,641 in the United States. After peaking in the 1950s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.