What is the meaning of Valentine?

Valentine is a somewhat popular first name for males (#1041 out of 1220, Top 85%) and an even more popular surname for all people (#834 out of 150436, Top 1%). (2000 u.s. demographics) Valentine was first listed in 1880-1889 and reached its apex rank of #464 in the U.S. then, but is not found in the list at the moment. read more

On Saint Valentine's Day in Ireland, many individuals who seek true love make a Christian pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. Valentine in Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, which is said to house relics of Saint Valentine of Rome; they pray at the shrine in hope of finding romance. read more

It is this St. Valentine whom the modern Valentine's Day honors. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, there were at least three early Christian saints by the name of Valentine. While one was a priest in Rome, another was a bishop in Terni. read more