The Baby Name Wizard

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Contribute to, or edit, this collection of community wisdom on the name Valery!

Comments and insights on the name Valery: | Edit

This name is popular in Russia. When translated into English it can have different spelling due to a different alphabet used in Russia. Valery, Valeriy, Valeri, Valerie – all varieties are just different spellings of the same name Валерий.
In Russia it is mostly used as a male name. That makes sense because it comes from a Latin word VALERO meaning strong/powerful. Sometimes it is used as a female name as well. However it sounds and spelled differently (Valeria or Valeriya).

Personal experiences with the name Valery: | Edit

I have had this name for over 60 years. For some reason, my Dad discovering that this was the male spelling of the name after a St. Valery and used by males in Russia and perhaps France decided to leave the spelling of my name with a "y". Well, it's different true, but I have been correcting the spelling on papers official and nonofficial all my life. Perhaps that is a warning that parents who wish to choose an "odd" spelling of a reasonably recognized name might want to reconsider before naming their child with this alternate spelling. I don't mind too much; but it is annoying at times.

Nicknames for Valery: | Edit

Val, Vallie

Meanings and history of the name Valery: | Edit

Meaning is "strong" and I know there was a St. Valery in France in about the 6th century AD.

Famous real-life people named Valery: | Edit

Valery Chkalov was a famous Russian aircraft test pilot. In 1937 he accomplished the first ultra long 63-hour flight from Moscow, USSR to Vancouver, WA via the North Pole. There is a street in Vancouver, WA named for him and an obelisk.

Valeriy Kharlamov was a star Russian (actually Soviet) ice hockey player and was considered one of the greatest players in the world. He was voted one of six players to the International Ice Hockey Federation's (IIHF) Centennial All-Star Team in a poll conducted by a group of 56 experts from 16 countries.

Valery in song, story & screen: | Edit

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