Definition of "Val"

And Publius Valerius became the baby's name, though it afterwards transpired that they had got hold of the inferior Cato. In 1890, however, when little Publius was nearly ten, the word 'chic' went out of fashion, and sobriety came in; Winifred began to have doubts. They were confirmed by little Publius himself, who returned from his first term at school complaining that life was a burden to him - they called him Pubby. Winifred - a woman of real decision - promptly changed his school and his name to Val, the Publius being dropped even as an initial.

1920, John Galsworthy, The Forsyte Saga: In Chancery:I: Chapter 2:

“Vals are everywhere,” Miss Zappa said the other afternoon in a telephone interview from the Zappas' Hollywood Hills home. She also reported that Vals are “jealous of Brooke Shields and secretly want to go to New York.”

1982 September 15, Moon Zappa, quotee, “They're Clothes Crazy, Fer Sure; Valley Girls aren't just in California”, in The New York Times‎