Although Valentine’s Day usually brings pleasant thoughts of chocolates and other sweets, the thought of romance at work can leave a bitter taste for employers. In Vault.com’s 2016 Office Romance Survey, half of those surveyed said they participated in an office romance at some point in their careers.

1. Valentines Update State Of The Union
2. Valentines Update Dragon Adventures

Valentine is a masculine given name derived from the Roman family name Valentinus, which was derived from the Latin word valens, which means 'strong and healthy.' Valentine can be considered an English translation or adaptation of the nameIt was the name of several saints of the Roman Catholic Church. St. Valentine's Day was named for a third-century martyr. The usual feminine form of the name is Valentina.^[1]

People with the given name[edit]

• Saint Valentine, 3rd century Roman saint
• Valentine of Passau (died 475), Catholic saint, monk, abbot, bishop and hermit
• Pope Valentine (died 827), briefly Roman Catholic pope
• Valentine Abt (1873–1942), American composer and mandolin player
• Valentine Ackland (1906–1969), poet
• Valentine Berriochoa, one of the Vietnamese Martyrs
• Valentine Colasante (born 1989), French ballet dancer
• Valentine de Saint-Point (1875–1953), French poet, playwright and painter
• Valentine Dyall (1908–1985), British actor
• Valentine Fleming, father of author Ian Fleming
• Valentine Holmes (born 1995), rugby league player and American football player
• Valentine Kipketer (born 1993), Kenyan half marathon and marathon runner
• Val Page, British motorcycle designer
• Valentine Tessier (1892–1981), French actress
• Valentine Warner (born 1972), British television chef
• Valentin Glushko, Soviet designer of rocket engines

People with the surname[edit]

• What are some fun facts about valentines day? Surprise your friends with some new valentines day facts! Subscribe to The Infographics Show: http://bit.ly/1zk.
• LAist, a website about Los Angeles. Telling stories from inside the deepest pothole to the top of Mt. Wilson — and beyond. Powered by KPCC.
• House in Red Hill, Brisbane, 1944. John Oxley Library. Negative number: 44053. Then, to my amazement, I found information about an individual who could perhaps be the additional inhabitant of the cottage – call him a ghost if you like.

Actors[edit]

• Anthony Valentine (1939–2015), English actor
• Brooke Valentine, actress
• Gary Valentine, actor
• Karen Valentine, American actress and star of Room 222
• Kym Valentine, actress
• Stacy Valentine, pornographic actress
• Steve Valentine, actor

Artists[edit]

• DeWain Valentine (born 1936), American sculptor
• Edward Valentine, sculptor

Businesspeople[edit]

• Alexander Valentine, Chairman of London Transport from 1959 to 1965
• Brian Valentine, Senior Vice President, e-commerce Platform, Amazon.com
• Don Valentine, businessman
• Elmer Valentine, nightclub owner

Musicians[edit]

• Ann Valentine (1762–1842), English organist and composer
• Dickie Valentine, pop singer
• Hilton Valentine, guitarist
• Kathy Valentine, guitarist
• Kid Thomas Valentine, trumpeter
• Robert Valentine (composer) (c. 1671–1747)

Valentines Update State Of The Union

Politicians[edit]

• Daniel Mulford Valentine (1830–1907), Kansas politician and judge
• Edward K. Valentine (1843–1916), 19th-century politician
• Emery Valentine (1858–1930), Alaskan politician
• Itimous T. Valentine Sr. (1887–1970), North Carolina politician and judge
• John K. Valentine (1904–1950), Iowa politician
• John L. Valentine (fl. 1970s–2010s), Utah politician
• Hugh Valentine (1848–1932), New Zealand Member of Parliament
• Lewis Valentine (1893–1986), Welsh politician and activist
• Rob Valentine (born 1950), Lord Mayor of Hobart
• Tim Valentine (1926–2015), North Carolina politician

Scientists[edit]

• David H. Valentine (1912-1987), British botanist
• James W. Valentine, American evolutionary biologist

Sportspeople[edit]

• Alf Valentine, cricketer
• Bobby Valentine, former manager of Japanese baseball team Chiba Lotte Marines and former manager of the MLB team Boston Red Sox
• Bryan Valentine, cricketer
• Carl Valentine, footballer
• Cheryl Valentine, Scottish field hockey midfielder
• Chris Valentine, hockey player
• Darnell Valentine, basketball player
• Dave Valentine Scottish rugby union and rugby league footballer
• Ellis Valentine, baseball player
• Greg Valentine, wrestler
• Howard Valentine, track and field athlete
• Johnny Valentine, wrestler
• Josh Valentine, rugby footballer
• Rob Valentine Scottish rugby union and rugby league footballer
• Ryan Valentine, footballer

Others[edit]

• Helen Valentine (1893-1986), founder of Seventeen magazine
• Herbert J. Valentine (1917–1996), American Marine officer, flying ace and Navy Cross recipient
• Jean Valentine, poet
• Jo Valentine, pseudonym of Charlotte Armstrong
• Lewis J. Valentine (1882–1946), Police Commissioner of New York City
• Penny Valentine (1943–2003), music critic
• Phil Valentine, radio host
• Robert M. Valentine, a business partner of Rowland Hussey Macy
• Tsakane Valentine, soprano
• William Orison Valentine (1862–1928), missionary

Fictional characters[edit]

• Aubrey Valentine, minor character from the British soap opera EastEnders
• Beka Valentine, Andromeda
• Billy Ray Valentine, from the film Trading Places, played by Eddie Murphy
• Calvin Valentine, Hollyoaks
• Carmel Valentine, Hollyoaks
• Cat Valentine, character from the television series Victorious
• Cat Valentine, character from the television series Sam & Cat
• Charity Hope Valentine, Sweet Charity
• Diane Valentine, Hollyoaks
• Dick Valentine, fictional radio call-in show host, National Lampoon
• Eddie Valentine, from the film The Rocketeer portrayed by Paul Sorvino
• Elphelt Valentine, playable character in the video game Guilty Gear Xrd
• Emily Valentine, on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210
• Esther Valentine, The Young and the Restless
• Funny Valentine, in 'Steel Ball Run', the 7th arc of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
• Faye Valentine, Cowboy Bebop
• Isabella 'Ivy' Valentine, from the videogame Soul Calibur
• Jill Valentine, from the videogame and film Resident Evil
• Jimmy Valentine, the main character in O. Henry's short story 'A Retrieved Reformation' and a number of movies based on it
• Keith Valentine, vampire in the game Shadow Hearts
• Kenneth Valentine, protagonist of The Golden Globe by John Varley
• Luke and Jan Valentine, in the Hellsing (TV series) anime
• Leo Valentine, in the soap opera Hollyoaks
• Mai Valentine, alternative name of Mai Kujaku, character of Yu-Gi-Oh!
• Nick Valentine, a synth private detective and available companion in Fallout 4
• PC Roger Valentine, in the television series The Bill
• Ramlethal Valentine, playable character in the video game Guilty Gear Xrd
• Richmond Valentine, antagonist of Kingsman: The Secret Service
• Sasha Valentine, in the soap opera Hollyoaks
• Scarlet Valentine, in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
• Shirley Valentine, from the play of the same name
• Skeeter Valentine, from the Nickelodeon cartoon Doug
• Sonny Valentine, in the soap opera Hollyoaks
• Vincent Valentine, from the video games Final Fantasy VII and Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
• Valentine D'Artagnan, protagonist of La Femme Musketeer
• Valentine Coverly in Tom Stoppard's play Arcadia
• Valentine Michael Smith, in Robert Heinlein's novel Stranger in a Strange Land
• Valentine de Villefort, in The Count of Monte Cristo
• Valentine Wannop, in Ford Madox Ford's Parade's End tetralogy
• Valentine Warleggan, in the Poldark novels by Winston Graham
• Valentine Wiggin, from the Ender's Game book series by Orson Scott Card
• Valentine, in William Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona
• Valentine, gentleman of Orsino in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night
• Valentine, in the medieval romance Valentine and Orson
• Valentine, the protagonist of Robert Silverberg's Lord Valentine's Castle
• Valentine, juggler in the film MirrorMask
• Valentine Morgenstern, the primary antagonist in Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments series
• Valentine, in the video game Guilty Gear 2: Overture
• Valentine, a playable character in the video game Skullgirls
• Valentine, in the original 2015 Edinburgh cast of Love Birds: the musical, played by Ruth Betteridge

Name variants[edit]

• Balendin (Basque)
• Валентин Valentìn, Валю Valyu, Вальо Valyo, Валедин Vàledin (Bulgarian)
• Bálint (Hungarian)
• Folant (Welsh)
• Valentino, Tino (Italian)
• Ualan (Scottish Gaelic)
• Val (English)
• Βαλεντίνος (Valentinos) (male), Βαλεντίνα (Valentina) (female) (Greek)
• Valentijn (Dutch)
• Valentín (Slovakian), Spanish
• Valentin (Bulgarian), (Croatian), (Czech), (French), (German), (Romanian), (Russian), (Scandinavian), (Slovenian)
• Valentino, Valentina (Italian)
• Valentyn (Ukrainian)
• Vali, Valentin (Romanian)
• Walenty (Polish)
• Valentim, Valentina (Portuguese)
• Βαλεντίνη (female) (Greek)

Notes[edit]

1. ^'Meaning, origin and history of the name Valentine'. Behind the Name.

See also[edit]

What many people refer to as a “Hallmark” holiday has always seemed like a great opportunity for companies to roll in some extra cash. In the past, brands have spent much of their time creating Valentine’s Day campaigns geared toward couples. But with more than half of American adults identifying as single today, that may not be the best practice anymore.

Related: You Should Spend Your Money on Experiences, Not Things

Sure, the lovey dovey holiday hasn’t lost its momentum -- in fact, Valentine’s Day sales reached an all-time high of $19.7 billion in 2016. Yet, that’s because it’s become a holiday that both couples and singles celebrate. Many people are buying gifts and experiences for friends, co-workers and pets rather than that special someone. So if you’re thinking romance is the best way to boost your sales, think again -- it's time to switch gears and start focusing your Valentine’s Day efforts to include everyone.

Check out these Valentine’s Day stats from Bing to learn how the holiday has changed over the years.

1. Focus your efforts on single people, just as much as those in a relationship. Half of the American population identifies as single, and of these people, a quarter say they plan to do something for Valentine’s Day. On average, a single man will spend $71 during the holiday and a single woman will spend $40.

2. More people are buying gifts for their friends than their boyfriends. When people search for “Valentine’s Day Gifts For …” on Bing.com, 22 percent of people fill in “husband,” 20 percent of people type “friend” and 17 percent “boyfriend.”

3. Many people plan to spend money on their pets for Valentine’s Day. In 2016, a reported 19 percent of people bought Valentine’s Day gifts for their furry friends for a total of $681 million.

4. Unlike Christmas and birthdays, people don’t plan that much in advance for Valentine’s Day. So rather than spending your marketing bucks towards a month-long campaign, just focus on the one or two weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day. Forty-six percent say they’ll start shopping in early February.

5. Year after year, more and more people are shopping on their phones for Valentine’s Day. So it could be a good idea to boost your mobile efforts. Between 2015 to 2016, mobile search increased from 40 to 48 percent on Bing.com.

6. There’s nearly a 50-50 split between people who shop on desktops or tablets and people who shop on smartphones. Those who shop on desktops or tablets are typically searching for handmade or branded items, romantic staples or chain restaurants. People who shop on their phones are looking at jewelry and engagement rings, last-minute gifts and online groceries.

7. If you’re not already spending a lot of your time building up your company’s website or ecommerce page, it’s time to start. Every year, the amount of people shopping online for Valentine’s Day is increasing. Twenty-eight percent of people shopped online in 2016, and 35 percent shopped both online and in-store.

Related: 5 Tips to Creating a Successful Content-Marketing Campaign

Valentines Update Dragon Adventures

8. People don’t always get what they want on Valentine’s Day, and that’s because most people shop for their significant others without the input of that person. Most often, people receive candy, chocolate and cards on this heartfelt holiday, when what they really want is an evening out or an experience.

9. The holiday hasn’t lost all of its romantic mojo. If you’re advertising rings and/or jewelry -- this is your time to shine. Fifty percent of marriage proposals happen on Valentine’s Day, and on Bing.com, rings generated the most search traffic during the first seven days of February. In 2016, American consumers spent $4.5 billion on jewelry for Valentine’s Day.

10. Thirty-nine percent of people would love the gift of experience -- particularly theater tickets or comedy shows. In 2016, 35 percent of American consumers -- single and in a relationship -- spent nearly $3.6 billion on experiences.

11. If you’re in the hospitality industry, schedule hotel and lodging ads on weekdays. The study reveals that Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the peak days when people go searching for accommodations. People who travel on Valentine’s Day are far more likely (40 percent) to book a room at a hotel or resort, rather than a bed and breakfast or vacation rental (sorry Airbnb!).

12. Whether someone is going on a date or out with friends, 34 percent of consumers plan to eat out on Feb. 14 -- making Valentine’s Day the second busiest day of the year for restaurants.

13. If you’re not seeing any traction with some of your restaurant ads -- don’t worry. People are late planners when it comes to the holiday. In fact, restaurant searches and clicks peak the day before Valentine’s Day. Overall, searches will surge at the beginning of the weekend on Friday and Saturday, and fall near the end of the weekend on Sunday and Monday during Valentine’s Day season.

Related: 4 TED Talks About Love, Sex and Desire

14. Valentine’s Day is a great day for local and small businesses. Year over year, Bing.com saw an increase in local searches by 9 percent from 2015 to 2016, reaching 88 million total searches.

15. Although many people say they want an experience on Valentine’s Day, more than half opt to stay in. Turns out, “Netflix and chill” has become so popular that many people would rather kick back, order takeout and binge watch Stranger Things than get dressed up and go out.