всё работает
<!DOCTYPE html>
<form>
<input type="text" name="name" placeholder="Ваше имя" required>
<button type="submit">Отправить</button>
</form>
<script src="http://ajax.aspnetcdn.com/ajax/jQuery/jquery-1.11.1.min.js"></script>
<script src="http://ajax.aspnetcdn.com/ajax/jquery.validate/1.13.1/jquery.validate.js"></script>
<script>
$('form').validate();
</script>