Val

Val is a given name and a surname used in various cultures. It often serves as a diminutive or nickname for longer names such as Valentine, Valerie, Valentina, Valeria, or Valerius. In some contexts, Val is used as a standalone masculine or feminine given name and as a surname in several regions.

The given name Val commonly derives from Latin names such as Valerius and from the verb valere meaning to be strong or well. It also arises as a shortened form of Valentine or Valentín in several languages. In Romance-language toponymy, val- or valle- derives from Latin vallis meaning a valley and appears in many place names.

Notable people named Val include the American actor Val Kilmer and the Scottish crime writer Val McDermid, both of whom use Val as a public given name. The name is used globally and remains common in many countries.

Val appears as a character name in various works and is sometimes used as a nickname for fictional characters.

In computing, val is a keyword used to declare an immutable value. Languages such as Kotlin and Scala reserve val to define read-only bindings.