Valkyrie comes from the Old Norse valkyrja, meaning "chooser of the slain", the warrior maidens of Norse myth who carried fallen heroes to Valhalla. Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries and the Marvel character Valkyrie have made the word familiar, and a few American parents have taken it up as a fierce, mythological name. Valkyrie climbed from number 3758 in 2015 to number 1455 in 2022 and stands at number 1925 in 2025.