Top Names That Mean Health

Valentina is a more exotic and artistic ballerina-type successor to Valerie; a pretty, recommended choice. Mexican-born actress Salma Hayek and husband Francois-Henri Pinault named their daughter Valentina Paloma.

The name of a martyred medieval saint, Valerie has been on the popularity list since its earliest publication in 1880. Though it peaked in the 1960s, remaining in the Top 100 until 1988, it still doesn't sound terminally dated; the association with the word valor gives it a sense of boldness and makes it one of the special group of girl names that mean strong.

Valeria -- the original form of the name, used by early Christians -- is now more popular than the Franco-American Valerie.

A dashing, dramatic and romantic Italian surname, associated with early movie heartthrob Rudolph, and later with Italian fashion designer Valentino (Garavani). Also the name of an early Roman saint, whose feast day marks the beginning of spring. Ricky Martin chose it for one of his twin boys.

Romantic name used throughout Europe, though sure to lead to pronunciation problems here. Though it's never been too widely used in the US, it's quite popular in Switzerland, France, Austria, and Romania.