Valerius

Recorded in some twenty spellings many quite rare, and including Valera, Valero, Valerio, Valeri, Valleri, Vallier (Italian), Valere, Valeri, Valery (French), Valero (Sapnish), Valerio (Portugese and Italian), Valerious (German), and Valiant (English), this is a surname of Roman (Latin) origins. It was the clan name as Valerius of one of the most prominent familiies of Roman at the time of Julius Caesar, and is believed to originate from the personal name Valere, the original meaning of which was to flourish or be wealthy. The name was also born by a number of early saints, and it is in memory of one or all of these 4th century bishops of Sorrento, Sargossa, and Antibes in France, that most modern nameholders derive their name. It may also be a 'Crusader' name. That was a name that was originally associated in someway with the famous Crusades to the Holy Land in the 12th century. Many soldiers and pilgrims returning from these Crusades gave their children names associated with the bible and early Christian martyrs. Early examples of this surname recording in Italy include Bartolome Valero at Santa Maria, Alpera, Albacete, on December 3rd 1600, Cavehero Valera at Santa Anna, Motilleja, Albacete, on May 18th 1777, and Sagredo Valerio at Mendavia, Navarra, on February 20th 1859.