Valerio
A Romance surname from the Latin name Valerius, originally meaning “healthy” or “strong.”
The #2,675 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 22,901 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Valerio comes from the ancient Roman personal name Valerius, from Latin valere, meaning “to be strong,” “to be well,” or “to have health.” In later use it was also associated with saints’ names and passed into the Romance languages as a given name and then a surname. The surname usually began as a name based on an ancestor called Valerio/Valerius.
History
Valerio is well established in Italy, Spain, and other Romance-language regions as both a given name and a surname. The form was helped along by the popularity of the Latin name in Christian and medieval naming traditions, especially through saints’ names. In the United States, it is most often found among families of Italian, Spanish, or Latin American background.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The ancient Roman name Valerius gave rise to both surnames and first names across much of Europe, and it survives today in forms like Valerio, Valery, and Valeriu.
From the historical record
“de Valens ; 2" futur époux (oil, Est;. Valère, Valerio, Valérius. Nom de saint, en latin Valeriua : bien portant. Valéry. Nom de saint, en latin”
— Dictionnaire des noms (French surnames)