V is for Valentin

the saint's name was often used
when a baby was born on the name day  

While there are not many given names in my family file that begin with the letter V, there is one that is quite special - Valentin. My great grandfather was named Valentin and he passed the name on as a middle name to two of his sons. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he was born on February 14th. Valens (from the Latin) means "strong or vigorous." The name day for Valentin is February 14 in every country that celebrates name days. To learn more about the given name Valentin (or any other given names) check out Behind the Name.

Valentin is a form of Valentinus and is used in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, France, Russia, Slovenia, Croatia, and Romania. Valentin appears in various forms, some of the more interesting versions are  Balendin (Basque), Valentijn (Dutch), Balint (Hungarian), Walenty (Polish), and Folant (Welsh). Valentin is among the 50 most popular male given names in Austria and France.

Do you have anyone named for St. Valentine in your family file? 

See you back here on Monday for the letter W.

V is for Valentin