| Anita | Valentina | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | grace, favour | strong, healthy |
| Origin | spanish | spanish |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | uh-NEE-tuh | vah-len-TEE-nah |
| Syllables | 3 | 4 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1897 |
| Peak year | 1957 (5,811) | 2025 (5,354) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 5,354 |
| Trend | Vintage | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Anita | Valentina |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 929 | 24,620 |
| 2010s | 1,695 | 27,221 |
| 2000s | 2,471 | 7,506 |
| 1990s | 4,571 | 1,903 |
| 1980s | 8,594 | 907 |
| 1970s | 18,834 | 614 |
| 1960s | 44,416 | 771 |
| 1950s | 47,588 | 591 |
| 1940s | 32,531 | 238 |
| 1930s | 22,224 | 227 |
| 1920s | 18,052 | 336 |
| 1910s | 9,555 | 185 |
| 1900s | 2,149 | 23 |
| 1890s | 1,191 | 5 |
| 1880s | 365 | 0 |
A Spanish and Portuguese diminutive of Ana, ultimately from Hebrew 'Channah' (Hannah) meaning grace or favour.
The feminine form of Valentinus (Valentine), from the Latin valens 'strong, vigorous, healthy', from the verb valere 'to be strong'. Carried by several early saints named Valentine.
Valentina is more popular than Anita today: about 5,354 US babies were given the name Valentina in 2025, compared with 0 named Anita.
Anita means grace, favour (spanish origin), while Valentina means strong, healthy (spanish origin).
In US records, Anita first appears in 0 and Valentina in 1897, so Anita has the longer recorded history.