I knew a Val when I was growing up in the 1950s/early 1960s, but have no idea whether he was Valentine or not - I didn't address him by his first name in any case, as he was of my parents' generation, and you didn't, then.
At school in the 1960s, everybody was called Caroline, Susan or Ann/Anne - the majority spelt it with an E, after the Princess Royal had brought that spelling back into fashion, but there was a substantial minority who spelt it without. There were several Barbaras and Nicolas, and at least one Erica. There were even a couple of Joans and Pamelas, but those names were rapidly going out of style.
Apart from Rowan Marlow, I've only met male Rowans.
Karen is an oddity - it wasn't all that popular when I was very young, but it was very far from unknown, and often pronounced with a long "a". And at least one Karen at school was known as Kay. But it suddenly burst into popularity among children born in the late 1950s onwards, and, as far as I know, has been popular ever since.
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At school in the 1960s, everybody was called Caroline, Susan or Ann/Anne - the majority spelt it with an E, after the Princess Royal had brought that spelling back into fashion, but there was a substantial minority who spelt it without. There were several Barbaras and Nicolas, and at least one Erica. There were even a couple of Joans and Pamelas, but those names were rapidly going out of style.
Apart from Rowan Marlow, I've only met male Rowans.
Karen is an oddity - it wasn't all that popular when I was very young, but it was very far from unknown, and often pronounced with a long "a". And at least one Karen at school was known as Kay. But it suddenly burst into popularity among children born in the late 1950s onwards, and, as far as I know, has been popular ever since.