Its former name used to be
Panangatan, which comes from the root word
sang-at, meaning "to put up on an elevated place". This referred to the practice of fishermen from
Dimiao and
Lila who would put up (
sang-at) their boats on the banks of the Panangatan River when taking shelter during the southwest monsoons. Here nipa palms grew along the river, preventing the boats from being washed away by the waves.{{cite web| url =https://www.bohol-philippines.com/history-of-valencia.html | title =
How Valencia Came To Being? Panangatan remained part of Dimiao until 1867. That year a Spanish priest was assigned to the place and it became a separate municipality. The priest gave it a new name, naming after
his birthplace in Spain. In 1879 Valencia had a population of 7,009. ==Geography==