Girl Names That Start With V: 146 Ideas

Girl names that start with V run from favorites like Violet, Victoria, Valentina and Vivian to rare picks like Vesna, Virág and Valmai, and this list of 146 gives a checked origin and meaning for every one.

V is a confident, uncommon letter for naming a daughter. It holds Latin classics about victory, life and truth, vintage English names, flower and spring names, Roman and Norse goddesses, and names from French, Russian, Finnish, Sanskrit, Vietnamese and many other languages. No V name made the U.S. girls’ top 10 for 2025, according to the Social Security Administration, so even the familiar picks still feel distinctive.

We grouped these V names for girls by style: classic, unique, short, vintage, nature, mythology and literature, international and gender neutral. Then come the surprising sounds of V (a soft b in Spanish, an f in Swiss German), nicknames, sibling and middle name ideas, and a quick initials check.

Key Takeaways

No V name is in the SSA girls’ top 10 for 2025, so even familiar V names stand out.
Familiar V names for girls include Violet, Victoria, Valentina, Vivian, Vera, Valeria and Viola.
Rare options include Vale, Valora, Valmai, Vesna, Virág, Vuokko and Vellamo.
V is not always an English V: Spanish Valentina starts with a soft b and Swiss Vreni with an f.
Test your favorite with the initials, say it out loud, spelling and nickname checks before you decide.

Table of Contents

Girl Names That Start With V at a Glance

Quick Answer

Standout V names for girls: Valentina, Violet, Victoria, Vivian, Vivienne, Vera, Valeria, Valerie, Veronica, Vanessa, Viola and Vienna (familiar and classic); Vale, Velvet, Valora and Venetia (unusual); Vi, Veda, Vida and Vita (short); Vesna, Virág and Verbena (nature). No V name is in the U.S. girls’ top 10 for 2025, according to the Social Security Administration.

Every origin and meaning here was checked against the name’s own entry on Behind the Name in November 2026. Where the reference calls a meaning unknown or uncertain, we say so.

Girl names that start with V have a lot going for them. The letter is uncommon at the very top of the charts, it sounds soft and confident at the same time, and it opens the door to names about victory, life, faith, truth, flowers and spring. This list of 146 begins with the familiar picks, then branches into unique, short, vintage, nature, mythology, international and gender neutral names. For ideas across every letter, see our main list of baby girl names, or compare with girl names that start with W.

Name	Origin	Meaning
Valentina	Italian, Russian, Spanish, Greek, Romanian and more	Feminine form of Valentinus, from the Latin cognomen Valens, “strong, vigorous, healthy”; borne by the Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, who in 1963 became the first woman to visit space
Valerie	English, German, Czech	English and German form of Valeria
Valeria	Italian, Spanish, Romanian, German, Russian, Ukrainian, Ancient Roman	Feminine form of Valerius, a Roman family name from Latin valeo, “to be strong”; the name of a 2nd-century Roman saint and martyr
Victoria	English, Spanish, French, German, Scandinavian, Ancient Roman	“Victory” in Latin, borne by the Roman goddess of victory; also a feminine form of Victor; a 4th-century saint and martyr from North Africa
Violet	English	From the English word for the purple flower, ultimately from Latin viola; common in Scotland from the 16th century and in general English use from the 19th century
Vivian	English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish (feminine and masculine)	From the Latin name Vivianus, from vivus, “alive”; an occasional masculine English name since the Middle Ages, and in modern times also used for girls
Vivienne	French	French form of Viviana
Vera	Russian, English, German, Italian, Spanish and many more	“Faith” in Russian, sometimes associated with Latin verus, “true”; in general English use since the late 19th century
Veronica	English, Italian, Romanian, Late Roman	Latin alteration of Berenice (“bringing victory”), the spelling influenced by the Latin phrase vera icon, “true image”; the name of a legendary saint
Virginia	English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Greek, Ancient Roman	Feminine form of the Roman family name Verginius or Virginius, of unknown meaning but long associated with Latin virgo, “maid, virgin”
Vanessa	English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Dutch, Portuguese	Invented by Jonathan Swift for his 1726 poem Cadenus and Vanessa by rearranging the first syllables of his friend Esther Vanhomrigh’s names; later the name of a butterfly genus
Viola	English, Italian, Swedish, German, Hungarian and more	“Violet” in Latin; the heroine of Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night
Vienna	English (modern)	From the name of the capital city of Austria
Verity	English	From the English word “verity, truth”, from Latin verus, “true, real”; one of the virtue names adopted by the Puritans in the 17th century
Viviana	Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Ancient Roman	Feminine form of Vivianus (see Vivian); Saint Viviana, also called Bibiana, was a 4th-century Roman saint and martyr

Familiar and classic V girl names with origins and meanings.

None of these is in the Social Security Administration (SSA) top 10 for girls born in 2025. That list runs Olivia, Charlotte, Emma, Amelia, Sophia, Mia, Isabella, Evelyn, Sofia and Eliana, and the boys’ top 10 has no V name either. The SSA counts every spelling separately, so Vivian, Vivienne, Viviana and Vivien are tallied as four different names even though they share one root.

Five big families account for a large share of the letter. Once you know them, the rest of the list is easier to read:

The Victoria family: Victoria means “victory” in Latin. Its forms include Vittoria (Italian), Vitória (Portuguese), Victoire (French), Viktorija (Baltic and South Slavic) and the English pet forms Vicki and Vicky.
The Valeria family: Valeria comes from the Roman family name Valerius, from Latin valeo, “to be strong”. Valerie, Valérie, Valeriya and the German pet form Valeska all belong here, along with the variants Valorie and Valarie.
The Vivian family: Vivian comes from the Latin vivus, “alive”. Viviana, Vivienne, Viviane and Vivyan are relatives, and Vivi, Viviette and Viivi are smaller forms.
The Violet family: Violet is the English flower word, from Latin viola. Viola, Violeta, Violette, Violetta, Violaine and the Albanian Vjollca all point back to the same flower.
The Vera family: Vera means “faith” in Russian and is often linked with Latin verus, “true”. Vira, Verica and Veriko are forms of Vera, and Verity and Verena are separate names tied to the same Latin word for true.

Unique and Rare Girl Names That Start With V

If you want unique girl names that start with V, the names below are uncommon in the United States, and Behind the Name marks several of them as rare in English. Most are still easy to spell and say on the first try.

Name	Origin	Meaning
Vale	English (rare)	From the English word for a “wide river valley”
Velvet	English	From the English word for the soft fabric; used as a given name after the heroine of Enid Bagnold’s book National Velvet (1935) and its film and television adaptations
Valencia	Various	From the names of cities in Spain and Venezuela, both from Latin valentia, “strength, vigour”
Valora	Esperanto	“Valuable” in Esperanto
Vespera	Esperanto	“Of the evening”, from Esperanto vespero, “evening”, ultimately from Latin vesper
Viona	English (rare)	Possibly a variant of Fiona influenced by Viola
Vianne	English (rare)	Meaning unknown; perhaps a combination of Vi and Anne, or a short form of Vivianne
Vienne	Various (rare)	From the French name for Vienna
Viviette	English (rare)	Diminutive of Vivienne; the title character of William John Locke’s novel Viviette (1910)
Vivyan	English (rare)	Variant of Vivian
Venetia	English (rare), Greek	From the Latin name of the Veneto region and the city of Venice; borne by the English beauty Venetia Stanley (1600 to 1633), and used by Benjamin Disraeli for the heroine of a novel
Verona	Various	From the name of the Italian city, itself of uncertain meaning (possibly from Celtic roots meaning “alder” and “field, plain”)
Virna	Italian	Used in Italy mainly because of the actress Virna Lisi (1936 to 2014), whose father invented the name
Valmai	Welsh	Anglicized form of Welsh fel Mai, “like May”; invented by the author Allen Raine for her novel By Berwen Banks (1899)
Velia	Italian	From the Roman family name Velius, which possibly means “concealed” in Latin

Unique and rare V names for girls.

A few of these come from words rather than older names. Vale is the English word for a wide river valley, Velvet is the soft fabric (made famous as a name by National Velvet), and Valora and Vespera are Esperanto words for “valuable” and “of the evening”. Valencia, Venetia, Verona, Vienna and Vienne all come from places, which gives them a travel feel without being tied to a single culture.

Some carry a clear literary or historical story. Valmai was invented by the Welsh novelist Allen Raine in 1899 from a phrase meaning “like May”. Viviette is the title character of a 1910 novel, and Virna rose in Italy because of the actress Virna Lisi. Vianne is the honest mystery here: Behind the Name says its meaning is unknown, so we print it that way. For more uncommon picks across the alphabet, see our unique girl names guide.

You may notice that some newer V names seen on other lists are missing. We only print a name when it has its own Behind the Name entry with a feminine or unisex listing, so invented spellings without an entry are left out rather than given a guessed meaning. To see how often any name has been given in the U.S., use the Popularity of a Name search on the SSA baby names site. To protect privacy, the SSA leaves out names with fewer than 5 occurrences, so the rarest names will not appear there at all.

Short V Names for Girls (2 to 4 Letters)

Short V names are quick to write and easy to pair with a longer middle name or surname. Several began as pet forms, but most are full names in their own languages.

Name	Origin	Meaning
Vi	English	Short form of Violet
Veda	Telugu, Kannada	“Knowledge” in Sanskrit
Vida	Persian	“Visible” in Persian
Vita	Italian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Danish, Slovene, Late Roman	Feminine form of Vitus, a Latin name from vita, “life”
Vivi	Danish, Swedish, Norwegian	Scandinavian diminutive of names beginning with Vi, as well as of Olivia and Sofia
Vy	Vietnamese	From the Sino-Vietnamese character meaning “royal fern”, which occurs most often in the Vietnamese word for “multiflora rose”
Vija	Latvian	“Garland, wreath” in Latvian
Veta	Macedonian	Short form of Elisaveta, the Bulgarian and Macedonian form of Elizabeth (“my God is an oath” in Hebrew)
Veva	Spanish, Portuguese	Short form of Genoveva, the Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan form of Geneviève
Vana	Macedonian	Short form of Ivana or Jovana
Vira	Ukrainian	Ukrainian cognate of Vera, “faith”
Vanna	Italian	Short form of Giovanna, the Italian feminine form of Giovanni (John)

Short girl names starting with V.

Some of the shortest names have the most meaning per letter. Veda means “knowledge” in Sanskrit, Vita comes from the Latin word for “life”, Vija means “garland, wreath” in Latvian, and Vida means “visible” in Persian. Vy, a Vietnamese name, comes from a character meaning “royal fern”. Vi, Vanna, Veta, Veva and Vana are short forms of longer names (Violet, Giovanna, Elisaveta, Genoveva and Ivana or Jovana), which makes them handy if you want a formal name on paper and a tiny one at home.

More short V names appear in the other tables: Vera, Vale, Val, Vân, Vinh, Vesta and Venus. For more ideas across every letter, see our short girl names list. A practical tip: very short names that end in a vowel (Vi, Vita, Veda) flow best into a middle name that starts with a consonant.

Long, Elegant and Vintage V Names

Several English V names have been in use since the 19th century, and today they read as charming vintage picks. Others on this list come from saints and Roman families and have been used in Europe for centuries.

Name	Origin	Meaning
Velma	English	Probably a variant of Wilma, the e perhaps from the influence of Selma; in use since the 19th century
Verna	English	Feminine form of Vernon (from a Gaulish word for “alder”), sometimes associated with Latin vernus, “spring”; in use since the 19th century
Virgie	English	Diminutive of Virginia
Velda	English	Meaning unknown, possibly from the Old German element walt, “power, authority”
Verda	English	Meaning uncertain, possibly from Spanish verde “green” or verdad “truth”
Vonda	English	Variant of Wanda, reflecting the Polish pronunciation
Valorie	English	Variant of Valerie
Valarie	English	Variant of Valerie
Vicki	English	Diminutive of Victoria
Vicky	English	Diminutive of Victoria
Victorine	French	French feminine form of Victorinus, a Roman name derived from Victor
Valeska	German	Diminutive of Valeria
Verena	German, Late Roman	Possibly related to Latin verus, “true”, or a Coptic form of Berenice; Saint Verena was a 3rd-century Egyptian-born nurse who settled near Zurich
Vilhelmina	Swedish (rare), Lithuanian	Swedish and Lithuanian feminine form of William, from Germanic elements meaning “will, desire” and “helmet, protection”
Vincenza	Italian	Italian feminine form of Vincent, from Latin vinco, “to conquer”

Vintage and elegant V girl names.

Velma, Verna, Velda, Verda and Vonda are the classic English vintage group. Their stories are more varied than they look. Velma is probably a variant of Wilma, Vonda is a variant of Wanda that reflects the Polish pronunciation, and Verna is the feminine form of Vernon. Velda and Verda are honest uncertainties: Behind the Name calls Velda’s meaning unknown and Verda’s uncertain, so we print them that way rather than borrowing a meaning from a similar word.

For something more formal, Verena has one of the best stories on the page: Saint Verena was a 3rd-century Egyptian-born nurse who settled near Zurich, and her name is still used in German-speaking countries (the Swiss pet form is Vreni). Victorine, Vilhelmina and Vincenza are long, stately forms with built-in nicknames. If you love this style, browse our old-fashioned girl names list for more.

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Nature V Names: Flowers, Rain, Rainbows and Stars

Many pretty girl names that start with V come from the natural world. Violet and Viola are the best known, and the names below add flowers, fruit, rain, a rainbow, the sea and a bright star from more than a dozen languages. Every meaning is the one the name’s entry gives. For more, see our flower names list.

Name	Origin	Meaning
Verbena	Various (rare)	From the name of the verbena plant, from Latin verbena, “leaves, twigs”
Vega	Astronomy	A star in the constellation Lyra; its name is from Arabic al-Wāqiʿ, “the swooping (eagle)”
Vesna	Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Slavic Mythology	“Spring” in many Slavic languages; a Slavic spirit of springtime, used as a given name only since the 20th century
Vaiva	Lithuanian	From Lithuanian vaivorykštė, “rainbow”
Višnja	Croatian, Serbian	“Sour cherry” in Croatian and Serbian
Virág	Hungarian	“Flower” in Hungarian
Vuokko	Finnish	“Anemone (flower)” in Finnish
Vanamo	Finnish (modern)	“Twinflower” in Finnish
Varpu	Finnish	From the Finnish name for a type of berry bush
Vjollca	Albanian	From Albanian vjollcë, “violet”, referring to both the flower and the color
Violeta	Romanian, Spanish, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian, Albanian, Lithuanian	Form of Violet in several languages
Vered	Hebrew	“Rose” in Hebrew, originally a borrowing from an Iranian language
Varduhi	Armenian	“Rose lady”, from Armenian vard, “rose”, and a feminine suffix
Varsha	Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil	From Sanskrit varṣa, “rain”
Vasudha	Hindi	“Holding wealth” in Sanskrit, used to refer to the earth
Valli	Hinduism	“Creeping plant” in Tamil; the Tamil Hindu goddess Valli is the wife of Murugan
Vaitiare	Tahitian	From Tahitian vai “water” and tiare “flower”
Vaimiti	Tahitian	From Tahitian vai “water” and miti “sea, salt”
Viorica	Romanian	Derived from Romanian viorea, the word for the alpine squill or the sweet violet flower (from Latin viola)

Nature inspired V names for girls.

V is a wonderful letter for flower names. Besides Violet and its relatives (Violeta, Vjollca, Viorica), there is Virág, simply “flower” in Hungarian, Vuokko (“anemone”) and Vanamo (“twinflower”) from Finnish, Vered (“rose”) from Hebrew, Varduhi (“rose lady”) from Armenian, and Vaitiare, which combines the Tahitian words for water and flower. Verbena is the plant itself.

For something beyond flowers, Vesna means “spring” in many Slavic languages, Varsha means “rain”, Vaiva comes from the Lithuanian word for “rainbow”, and Vega is a bright star in the constellation Lyra. Vasudha, “holding wealth”, is a Sanskrit word used for the earth itself. If you are drawn to sky names, our list of names that mean star has more.

Mythology, Literature and Biblical V Names

Several V names come from Roman, Norse, Finnish and Hindu traditions, one comes from the Old Testament, and a few were created by writers. Where the reference says a meaning is probable or uncertain, we print exactly that.

Name	Origin	Meaning
Vashti	Biblical	Probably of Persian origin, possibly a superlative form of a word meaning “good”; in the Old Testament, the first wife of King Ahasuerus of Persia before he married Esther
Venus	Roman Mythology	“Love, sexual desire” in Latin; the Roman goddess of love, and the name of the second planet from the sun
Vesta	Roman Mythology	Probably a Roman cognate of Hestia (“hearth, fireside”); the Roman goddess of the hearth
Valkyrie	Various (rare)	“Chooser of the slain”, from Old Norse; in Norse myth, the maidens who led heroes killed in battle to Valhalla
Verdandi	Norse Mythology	From Old Norse Verðandi, “becoming, happening”; one of the three Norns, the goddesses of destiny, responsible for the present
Vanadís	Norse Mythology	“Goddess of the Vanir” in Old Norse; an epithet of the goddess Freya
Vellamo	Finnish Mythology	From Finnish velloa, “to surge, to swell”; a Finnish goddess of the sea
Vaishnavi	Hinduism, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi	“Belonging to Vishnu”; the shakti (power) of Vishnu, identified with the goddess Lakshmi
Vidya	Hinduism, Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil	“Knowledge, science, learning” in Sanskrit; another name of the goddess Saraswati
Viatrix	Ancient Roman	Earlier form of Beatrix, probably a feminine form of the Latin name Viator, “voyager, traveler”
Vivien	Literature, Hungarian	Used by Alfred Tennyson for the Lady of the Lake in Idylls of the King (1859), perhaps based on Vivienne or a misreading of Ninian; borne by the actress Vivien Leigh
Violaine	French	Invented by Paul Claudel for the heroine of his play L’Annonce faite à Marie (1912), likely based on Latin viola, “violet”
Veneranda	Italian, Latvian, Ancient Roman	Feminine form of Venerandus, “venerable, worthy of veneration” in Latin; a 2nd-century saint also known as Venera

V names from mythology, religion, history and literature.

Roman myth gives the letter two strong names. Venus was the goddess of love (the second planet from the sun is named for her), and Vesta was the goddess of the hearth. Norse myth adds Verdandi, the Norn responsible for the present, and Vanadís, a title of the goddess Freya. Valkyrie is dramatic but honest about its meaning: “chooser of the slain”. Finnish Vellamo was a goddess of the sea, from a word meaning “to surge, to swell”.

Vashti is the one biblical V name for girls: in the Book of Esther she is the first wife of King Ahasuerus. Behind the Name says the name is probably of Persian origin and possibly linked to a word for “good”. On the literary side, Tennyson used Vivien for his Lady of the Lake, Paul Claudel invented Violaine for a 1912 play, and Viatrix is the older Latin form of Beatrix. For more biblical options, see our biblical girl names guide.

International V Names by Language

Origins below use the reference’s own usage labels. Romance languages, Slavic languages and the Nordic countries contribute the most, often as local forms of names you already know, such as Victoria, Veronica and Valeria.

Name	Origin	Meaning
Vittoria	Italian	Italian form of Victoria
Vitória	Portuguese	Portuguese form of Victoria
Victoire	French	French form of Victoria
Valérie	French, Czech	French and Czech form of Valeria
Valentine	French	French feminine form of Valentinus (see Valentina)
Virginie	French	French form of Virginia
Véronique	French	French form of Veronica
Verónica	Spanish, Galician, Portuguese (European)	Spanish, Galician and European Portuguese form of Veronica
Viviane	French, Portuguese	French form of Viviana and a Portuguese variant; also the French form of Vivien
Violette	French	French form of Violet
Violetta	Italian, Russian, Ukrainian, Hungarian	Italian, Russian, Ukrainian and Hungarian form of Violet
Vicenta	Spanish	Spanish feminine form of Vincent
Virtudes	Spanish	“Virtues” in Spanish
Vreni	German (Swiss)	Swiss diminutive of Verena
Veerle	Dutch	Dutch (mainly Flemish) form of Pharaildis, from Old German elements meaning “journey” and “battle”

Italian, Portuguese, French, Spanish, Swiss and Dutch V names.

French gives you the most choices: Victoire, Valérie, Valentine, Virginie, Véronique, Viviane and Violette are all everyday French forms of names in the first table. Spanish adds Virtudes, “virtues”, and Vicenta. If you like this style, see our French girl names and Italian girl names lists.

Name	Origin	Meaning
Valeriya	Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian	Russian and Ukrainian feminine form of Valerius (“to be strong”)
Varvara	Russian, Greek, Bulgarian, Macedonian	Form of Barbara, from Latin barbarus, “foreign, savage, strange”
Varya	Russian	Diminutive of Varvara
Vasilisa	Russian	Russian feminine form of Basil, from Greek basileus, “king”
Vladislava	Russian, Czech	Feminine form of Vladislav, from Old Slavic elements meaning “to rule” and “glory”
Václava	Czech	Czech feminine form of Václav
Veronika	Russian, Czech, German, Hungarian, Swedish and many more	Form of Veronica in many languages
Vesela	Bulgarian	From Bulgarian vesel, “cheerful”
Vedrana	Croatian, Serbian	Feminine form of Vedran, “clear, cheerful” in Croatian and Serbian
Verica	Serbian, Croatian	Serbian and Croatian diminutive of Vera
Veriko	Georgian	Georgian diminutive of Vera
Viktorija	Lithuanian, Latvian, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian	Form of Victoria in several languages
Venera	Russian, Bulgarian, Georgian, Armenian, Albanian	Form of Venus, from the Latin genitive Veneris
Valbona	Albanian	From Valbona, the name of a mountain valley and river in northern Albania
Viorela	Romanian	Feminine form of Viorel, from the Romanian word for the alpine squill or sweet violet flower

Russian, Czech, Balkan, Georgian, Albanian and Romanian V names.

Many Russian girl names that start with V are formal names with a cozy short form in daily use, such as Varvara and Varya. Vasilisa is the Russian feminine form of Basil, from the Greek word for “king”, and Vladislava comes from Slavic words for “to rule” and “glory”. Vesela (“cheerful”) and Vedrana (from “clear, cheerful”) have bright meanings. Our Russian girl names list has more in this style.

Name	Origin	Meaning
Vibeke	Danish, Norwegian	Danish form of Wiebke
Viveka	Swedish	Swedish form of Vibeke
Vendela	Swedish	Swedish feminine form of Wendel, an old short form of Germanic names beginning with an element meaning “a Vandal”
Venla	Finnish	Finnish feminine form of Wendel
Viivi	Finnish, Estonian	Finnish and Estonian form of Vivi
Vilma	Spanish, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Czech and many more	Form of Wilma (a short form of Wilhelmina) in several languages
Vigdís	Icelandic	Icelandic form of Vígdís, from Old Norse elements meaning “war” and “goddess”
Vilja	Finnish, Estonian	Possibly from the Finnish word vilja, “cereal, grain”, or the Swedish word vilja, “will, intent”

Scandinavian, Finnish, Estonian and Icelandic V names.

Name	Origin	Meaning
Viyan	Kurdish	“Desire” in Kurdish
Vüsala	Azerbaijani	Alternate transcription of Vüsalə, the feminine form of Vüsal, “meeting, joining” in Azerbaijani
Vahide	Turkish	Turkish feminine form of Wahid, “peerless, unique” in Arabic
Vasanti	Marathi	Feminine form of Vasanta, “spring” in Sanskrit
Vimala	Tamil	Feminine form of Vimal, from Sanskrit vimala, “clean, pure, spotless”
Vina	Indonesian	From Sanskrit vīṇā, “lute”
Vaihere	Tahitian	From Tahitian vai “water” and here “loved, dear”
Voirrey	Manx	Vocative form of Moirrey, the Manx form of Mary

Kurdish, Azerbaijani, Turkish, Indian, Indonesian, Tahitian and Manx V names.

Print accents and special letters exactly as the name is spelled (Vitória, Valérie, Véronique, Václava, Vigdís, Vüsala, Vanadís). U.S. paperwork does not always carry accents or special characters, so check that you are comfortable with how the name may appear on forms. If a name comes from a culture outside your own family, learn how it is said and used before you commit.

Gender Neutral V Names

Behind the Name lists each of these as both feminine and masculine (Vivian, in the first table, is also listed for both). They come from Latin, English, Russian, South Slavic, Vietnamese, Khmer, Sanskrit and Spanish. You will find more in our gender neutral names guide, and the boys’ side of the letter in boy names that start with V.

Name	Origin	Meaning
Vesper	Roman Mythology, Dutch (modern)	Latin cognate of Hesperos, “evening” in Greek, the personified Evening Star; Ian Fleming used it for a character in Casino Royale (1953)
Val	English	Short form of Valentine, Valerie and other names beginning with Val
Vinnie	English	Diminutive of Vincent and other names containing vin
Vanya	Russian, Bulgarian	Diminutive of Ivan (Russian, masculine) or Ivana (Bulgarian, feminine)
Vanja	Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Swedish, Norwegian	Croatian, Serbian and Slovene form of Vanya; also used in Scandinavia, where it is mainly feminine
Vlasta	Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene	Originally a short form of names beginning with the Slavic element volstĭ, “power, rule, sovereignty”
Vân	Vietnamese	From Sino-Vietnamese, “cloud”
Vinh	Vietnamese	From Sino-Vietnamese, “glory”
Veasna	Khmer	“Fate, destiny” in Khmer, ultimately from Sanskrit vāsanā, “imagination, impression”
Vijaya	Hinduism, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Hindi	“Victory” in Sanskrit; the transcription of both a masculine and a feminine form
Ventura	Spanish	Either a short form of Buenaventura or directly from Spanish ventura, “fortune”

Gender neutral names that start with V.

Vesper links back to the Greek word for “evening” and the Evening Star, which makes it a natural partner for Vespera in the unique table. The two Vietnamese names here are short and bright: Vân means “cloud” and Vinh means “glory”. You can find more in our Vietnamese names guide. Vijaya, “victory” in Sanskrit, matches the meaning of Victoria in a completely different language.

Why Parents Love Girl Names That Start With V: Sound, Spelling and Nicknames

A few plain reasons parents keep coming back to V names for girls:

No V name is in the 2025 top 10 for girls or boys, so even a familiar V name like Violet or Victoria stands out.
Many V names have strong, clear meanings: “victory” (Victoria, Vijaya), “alive” or “life” (Vivian, Vita), “faith” (Vera), “truth” (Verity) and “spring” (Vesna).
The letter crosses cultures easily, with familiar names in English, Italian, Spanish, French, Russian and Sanskrit.
Most V names have obvious nicknames, which makes a long formal name easy to live with.

The surprise is that V does not sound the same everywhere. In Spanish, the v in Valentina, Victoria or Vilma is said like a soft b. Finnish, Croatian and Serbian use a softer v that sits between an English v and w. Classical Latin said Vesta and Venus with a w sound. And the Swiss pet name Vreni starts with an f sound. The table below uses the pronunciation printed on each name’s Behind the Name entry (mostly in the International Phonetic Alphabet), with a plain English hint.

Name	Pronunciation	Quick hint
Valentina	/va.len.ˈtiː.na/ (Italian), /ba.len.ˈti.na/ (Spanish)	Stress on TEE; Spanish starts with a soft b sound
Valeria	/va.ˈlɛː.rja/ (Italian), /və.ˈlɛɹ.i.ə/ (English)	Stress on the second syllable
Victoria	/vɪk.ˈtɔɹ.i.ə/ (English), /bik.ˈto.ɾja/ (Spanish)	vik-TOR-ee-uh in English
Viola	/vaɪ.ˈoʊ.lə/, /vɪ.ˈoʊ.lə/ or /ˈvaɪ.ə.lə/ (English)	Three accepted English sounds
Vienna	/vi.ˈɛn.ə/	vee-EN-uh
Vivienne	/vi.vjɛn/ (French)	Two syllables in French: vee-VYEN
Veronica	/və.ˈɹɑn.ɪ.kə/ (American English)	vuh-RAH-nih-kuh
Vashti	/ˈvæʃ.ti/ (English)	VASH-tee
Venetia	/vɪ.ˈniː.ʃə/ (English)	vih-NEE-shuh
Vesna	/ˈʋês.na/ (Croatian, Serbian)	The Slavic v is softer, close to an English v or w
Vuokko	/ˈʋuo̯k.ko/ (Finnish)	Finnish v is soft; the double k is held
Virág	/ˈvi.raːɡ/ (Hungarian)	VEE-rahg, with a long second vowel
Vreni	/ˈfreː.ni/ (Swiss German)	Starts with an f sound
Vilma	/ˈbil.ma/ (Spanish), /ˈvɪl.ma/ (German)	Spanish v sounds like b
Vendela	VEHN-deh-la (Swedish)	Three even syllables
Vered	/ˈve.ʁed/ (Hebrew)	VEH-red

How less familiar V names are said, per Behind the Name.

A tip most lists skip: if you choose a Spanish, Finnish or Swiss V name and live in the United States, most people will say it with an English V. Decide early which sound you want and tell relatives before they see it written on a card.

Nicknames are the other big draw. Every pairing below is listed as a short form, diminutive or variant on Behind the Name. For more pet-name ideas, see our nicknames for girls guide.

V name	Comes from
Vi	Violet
Vicki, Vicky	Victoria
Virgie	Virginia
Valeska	Valeria (German)
Val	Valentine, Valerie and other Val names
Valorie, Valarie	Valerie (variants)
Varya	Varvara (Russian)
Verica, Veriko	Vera (Serbian, Croatian and Georgian)
Vreni	Verena (Swiss)
Vanna	Giovanna (Italian)
Veta	Elisaveta (Macedonian)
Veva	Genoveva (Spanish, Portuguese)
Vana	Ivana or Jovana (Macedonian)
Vivi	Names beginning with Vi, plus Olivia and Sofia (Scandinavian)
Viviette	Vivienne
Vinnie	Vincent and other names containing vin

V nicknames and variants and the names they come from, per Behind the Name.

Sibling, Twin and Middle Name Ideas

These pairings are ideas, not rules. Sister or twin sets that share a letter work best when the names differ in length, ending or first sound.

Violet and Virág (two flower names)
Vesna and Vasanti (spring in Slavic and Sanskrit)
Victoria and Vijaya (victory in Latin and Sanskrit)
Vered and Varduhi (rose in Hebrew and Armenian)
Vivian and Vita (alive and life)
Vesper and Vespera (both evening names)
Veda and Vidya (two Sanskrit knowledge names)
Venus and Vesta (two Roman goddesses)
Vuokko and Vanamo (two Finnish flowers)
Vera and Verity (faith and truth)

If you want the names to match without rhyming, pair a short name with a long one (Vi and Valentina) or a nature name with a classic (Vesna and Victoria). Watch for pairs that sound nearly the same when called across a park, such as Vivian and Viviana or Valerie and Valeria.

For middle names, contrast helps. Most V first names end in a vowel sound (Valentina, Viola, Vera, Vienna), so a middle name that starts with a consonant keeps the two from running together. A V name also works well in the middle spot (Violet, Vera or Vivienne) if you want the letter without making it the first name. Our middle names guide has more pairing ideas.

The Initials Check and Other Quick Tests

Before you settle on one of these girl names that start with V, run each finalist through four quick tests:

Initials: write out first, middle and last initials. Some V combinations spell words or common abbreviations, so swap the middle name if you spot one you would not choose.
Say it out loud: call the full name across a room. A first name ending in a vowel (Viola, Vera) can blur into a surname that starts with a vowel, and the soft Spanish or Finnish v may be heard differently in English.
Spelling: many V names have close cousins (Vivian, Vivienne, Viviana, Vivien and Vivyan; Valerie, Valérie, Valorie and Valarie; Vicki and Vicky). Decide whether you mind spelling it out for years.
Nicknames: check the nickname table above. If you dislike the obvious short form (Vi, Val, Vicki), assume someone will use it anyway.

One more check is optional: how common the name is. No V name is in the 2025 girls’ top 10, so even familiar V names are not at the very top. The SSA’s Popularity of a Name search lets you look up any name by sex and range of years, a quick way to tell familiar from truly rare.

If you are torn between two finalists, use each one for a few days in the sentences you say most: calling her to dinner, introducing her to a neighbor, spelling it for a receptionist. The name that still feels easy after a week is usually the one. If you are also weighing rarer letters, our girl names that start with X list is a fun next stop.

Related Betteroo Guides

The Bottom Line

The letter V gives you a little of everything: favorites like Violet, Victoria, Valentina and Vivian, vintage names like Velma and Verna, nature names like Vesna, Virág and Verbena, goddesses like Venus and Vesta, and names from French, Russian, Finnish, Sanskrit, Vietnamese and many more languages. Shortlist three to five, check the meaning, test the initials and the V sound, and say each one out loud for a week.

Then give yourself permission to stop looking. A name you have checked, said aloud and still love after a week is a good name.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most popular girl names that start with V?

No V name is in the Social Security Administration’s girls’ top 10 for 2025. Familiar V names include Violet, Victoria, Valentina, Vivian, Vivienne, Valeria, Valerie, Vera, Veronica, Vanessa and Viola. To see how common a particular name is, use the Popularity of a Name search on the SSA baby names website, which lets you search by sex and range of years.

What are unique girl names that start with V?

Unique V names include Vale, Velvet, Valora, Vespera, Valmai, Venetia and Viviette, and Behind the Name marks several of them as rare in English. Many international V names, such as Vesna, Virág, Vuokko, Vanamo and Vellamo, are also uncommon in the United States, which makes them easy to love if you want something different.

What are pretty V names for girls?

Taste is personal, but meanings can help. Violet and Viola are flower names, Virág means flower in Hungarian, Vesna means spring in many Slavic languages, Vered means rose in Hebrew, and Vaiva comes from the Lithuanian word for rainbow. Vivienne, Valentina and Vienna appeal to many parents for their soft, flowing sound.

What are short girl names that start with V?

Short V names include Vi, Vy, Veda, Vida, Vita, Vivi, Vija, Veta, Veva, Vana, Vira and Vanna, plus Vera, Vale and Val. Some are full names in their own languages, such as Veda, meaning knowledge in Sanskrit. Others began as short forms, like Vi from Violet and Vanna from Giovanna.

What V girl names have strong meanings?

Victoria means victory in Latin, and Vijaya means victory in Sanskrit. Valeria and Valentina both trace back to Latin words for being strong, Vera means faith in Russian, Verity means truth, and Vivian comes from the Latin word for alive. Vidya means knowledge, science and learning in Sanskrit.

Which V names work for both girls and boys?

Behind the Name lists Vivian, Vesper, Val, Vinnie, Vanya, Vanja, Vlasta, Vân, Vinh, Veasna, Vijaya and Ventura as both feminine and masculine. Vân means cloud and Vinh means glory in Vietnamese, Veasna means fate or destiny in Khmer, and Vesper comes from the Latin name of the evening star.

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