Was the name 'Valerie' used during the Regency Era (1811-1836)?
Upvote:4
It doesn't appear to be a common name in the era, but it did exist in England
From ancestry.co.uk, I found only the following entries in baptism records from 1811-1831: Valorie Blower and Valeria Wright. The reference to Valerie Mc Morione Evans (as shown in the screenshot below) appears to have arisen from an incorrect transcription, as she was actually born in 1913.
From FreeBMD.org.uk (which starts in 1835), the earliest I found was Valerie Francisca Ashton, baptised Q1, 1840.
EDIT: I searched earlier dates and found some other references as below:
- Valeria Jones, Baptised 1791
- Susanna Valerie Garrard, born 1787
- Valeria Josepha Cayetana De Urrutia, born 1777, Co Durham
- Valeria Antonia Monroi, baptised 1762, Somerset
- Valere Ballard, baptised 1718, Lincs
- Valeria Marcelo, baptised 1709, Co Durham
Upvote:26
The names Valeria and Valerie were not in common use in Britain during the Georgian era, but they were certainly known by some via Saint Valerie of Limoges and also because Valerie (in particular) was in use in European aristocracy and literature (both British and continental works translated into English) in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Valerie and Valeria are not mentioned in this article, Georgian Era Names, and nor do they appear on this list of 19th century names, nor on this list of "some of the most popular choices for Georgian parents in Britain" (though there are a few surprising ones such as Keziah and Theodosia). Nor is there any mention of Valeria or Valerie in the period following the Georges; see Amy M. Hasfjord's dissertation New Influences on Naming Patterns in Victorian Britain.
Neither Valerie nor Valeria appear to have much of a history of use in England: the names do not appear on any of the popular name lists from the late 14th century, the Elizabethan period, the time of the restoration, the top 50 names of 1700 or even the top 200 names of 1840 (just after your target period). Not until the late 1920s or early 1930s does Valerie break into the top 100 girls names. However, Chaucer did use Valerie in his Canterbury Tales, while Shakespeare (in Coriolanus) and the poet (and Poet Laureate) William Whitehead (1715-85) (in his play Roman Father) both used Valeria.
Thus, I wouldn't rule out the use of Valerie or Valeria as a girl's name. Valerie also appears in French literature during the period of the French Revolution, a time when many French aristocrats were fleeing to Britain, and Valerie was 'imported' from France (although it was not particularly popular there either for long periods at least - see here and here, for example). Perhaps the most notable use of Valerie was for Baroness Barbara von Krüdener's best-selling book Valérie, ou Lettres de Gustave de Linar à Ernest de G...., first published in French in 1804 and "soon translated into Dutch, English, German and Russia". In the book, Valérie is a countess in a loveless marriage with a much older man, but her behaviour is beyond reproach.
Image source: BNF
Some 'Valeries' that cropped up while searching include the American-born British socialite Valerie, Lady Meux (b. 1847), the Swiss writer Valérie de Gasparin (b. 1813), the Viennese Countess Valerie Erdödy (uncertain birth date but a young lady in 1869) and the Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria (b. 1868), who was usually called Valerie rather than Marie. Given the extent of inter-marriage among European royalty, it seems plausible (if unusual and perhaps exotic even) for an English aristocratic lady to have the name Valerie or even Valeria (though you haven't stated your character's social class).
More post
- 📝 What language was the Charter of Liberties written in?
- 📝 Were biological weapons used in WW1?
- 📝 What is the Balboa Park in San Francisco named after?
- 📝 Did the Soviet Union hand over thousands of Jews to the Nazis in the spirit of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact?
- 📝 Where can I find Japanese oil production figures through WWII?
- 📝 What was the impact of Fischer vs. Spassky 1972 on the relationship between the USA and the Soviet Union?
- 📝 What was Libya's form of direct democracy (Jamahiria) like in practice?
- 📝 What happened to Hitler's personal possessions and real estate?
- 📝 Did the USSR use trotskyism as a bogeyman in the post Stalin period?
- 📝 Was Brezhnev's rule an "era of stagnation"
- 📝 Identifying a military uniform from the early 19th century
- 📝 Why didn't Alexander invade India?
- 📝 Is there a place in Europe that has never been Christian?
- 📝 Why didn't Germany attack Turkey during WW2?
- 📝 What rights did women have in Switzerland in the first few years of the 20th century?
- 📝 Did Gavrilo Princip Try To Drown Himself?
- 📝 Where did Carlson's Raiders get Boys anti-tank rifles in 1942 and why?
- 📝 How did Southern slaveholders in the United States relate to the Caribbean and Latin America?
- 📝 What would be a typical rank for KGB intelligence officers spying abroad in the 1980s?
- 📝 What is the manifestation of the Holy Roman Emperor reign in Italy?
- 📝 Why was the Tulsa Port placed at Catoosa?
- 📝 How was debt handled in the change over from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian?
- 📝 Why did Europe not see Roman-era numbers of men participating in battles until the 17th century?
- 📝 Did soldiers wear helmets in the 19th century?
- 📝 Have any artifacts or archaeological remains from the White Ship disaster of 1120 ever been recovered?
- 📝 What happened to the wealth of the Roman Catholic Church accumulated over the ages?
- 📝 In WW2 USN ships, what was the weight of a typical boiler?
- 📝 Are there pyramids at Sternenfels?
- 📝 What was the significance of the BEF moving into the gap between German forces in First Battle of the Marne?
- 📝 What is the source of "the three most useless things in the world are the Great Wall, Pyramids, and the Yamato"?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Was the name 'Valerie' used during the Regency Era (1811-1836)?
- 📝 Was the European slave market in the East during the colonial era similar to the transatlantic slave market? If not (less brutal, etc), why?
- 📝 When was King John of England given the name 'Dollheart', and who first used it?
- 📝 How was the political landscape of Tibet during the era of fragmentation?
- 📝 Was the term 'renaissance' used during said period?
- 📝 What did people used to exchange for goods during the 1920s German hyperinflation while the official currency was not trusted
- 📝 What was the standard pistol used in Yugoslavia during WWII?
- 📝 How was the term "Mandate of Heaven" used during the rise and fall of Chinese dynasties?
- 📝 What was the name of Delhi during the period of Akbar ruling in parts of India?
- 📝 Was the name "William the Conqueror" (or its translation) actually used in William's lifetime?
- 📝 Was the term connoisseur used during the 1400s?
- 📝 What drugs were used in England during the High Middle Ages?
- 📝 During the breakup of the Soviet Union, on what basis was citizenship granted or withheld for each of the fifteen new republics?
- 📝 What was the typical peasant's diet like in Europe during the High Middle Ages?
- 📝 What was the status of Arab Christians during the crusades?
- 📝 Why was there a surge in the US incarceration rate during the 1990s?
- 📝 What was the role of the Soviet Navy during WWII?
- 📝 Why was Switzerland not attacked during the two World Wars?
- 📝 How difficult was to escape from a naval battle after engaging into one during the Age of Sail?
- 📝 What was the ratio of German to Soviet losses on Eastern front during different stages of the war?
- 📝 What was the 1970s name for skinny jeans?
- 📝 What was the strategy to protect the British Museum during the World Wars?
- 📝 What was the significance of changing the name of "Persia" to "Iran"?
- 📝 Why was there lack of food during WW2 in the UK?
- 📝 How advanced was the satellite technology during the Yom Kippur War?
- 📝 What was the size of surface of a cereal crop needed per man per year during the Dark Ages in Western Europe?
- 📝 How close was the Soviet Union to collapsing during WW2?
- 📝 Was there a Japanese equivalent of the Gestapo during WW2
- 📝 What was the value of the spice trade during the age of exploration?
- 📝 What was the liquor that was based on petrol which was produced in the USSR during the Second World War?