Valentina

Valentina is not a name that whispers. Four syllables, a rolling rhythm and a finish that practically comes with a flourish: say it out loud and you'll find yourself standing up a little straighter.

The meaning backs up the swagger. Valentina comes from Latin and means strong, healthy. For a name you'll be calling across playgrounds and up the stairs for years, those are two very reassuring words to have on your side, particularly during the winter of endless sniffles.

A name that has literally been to space

Few names can claim a bearer quite like this one. Valentina Tereshkova, the Russian cosmonaut and pilot, was the first woman to fly in space. If you're looking for a namesake to point at when your daughter asks what she could be when she grows up, it's hard to aim higher than orbit.

The name has plenty of other talent on its books, too:

• Valentina Cortese, the Italian actress
• Valentina Monetta, the Sammarinese singer
• Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, a character in Marvel Comics

Space, screen, stage and comic book: for a name meaning strong, it clearly has range.

Huge in Argentina, Mexico City and Brazil

Valentina's popularity is spectacularly lopsided. It's #2 in Argentina (2024), #4 in Mexico City (2023) and #6 in Brazil (2022), so in those places it's about as mainstream as a name can be. It's still comfortably popular at #29 in Catalonia, but elsewhere it cools noticeably: #73 in the United States (2020), #90 in France, #109 in Australia and #148 in Canada.

That gives it a lovely double life. In Argentina your Valentina would be one of many; in much of the English-speaking world she'd feel warm, familiar and just a little bit exotic.

Four syllables can feel like a lot for a toddler, which is where the nicknames come in. Val is brisk and sporty, while Tina is breezy and friendly, and she can pick whichever suits the day. That flexibility makes a long, grand name feel surprisingly practical. She can be Valentina on the certificate, Tina to her friends and Val on the football team, and nobody will ever be confused about who you mean when you shout any of them across a crowded park.

On a shortlist, Valentina sits happily beside Sebastian, Mateo, Camila and Isabella: rich, romantic names with a bit of flair. Put any two together and they sound like the start of a rather glamorous family saga.

Of course, loving a name is the easy part. Agreeing on one with another adult, while also choosing a pram, a car seat and a middle name, is where the real endurance test begins. It helps, perhaps, to pick a name that literally means strong. You're going to need it.