The first name Walt
A boy’s name.
Pronounced /wɔːlt/ 1 syllable Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Clipping of Walter. The derogatory British sense is a reference to the fictional character Walter Mitty from The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, a mild-mannered pushover who has wild fantasies about his life in various daring roles.
Walt is a short form of
.From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 3 boys were named Walt, making it the 5,137th most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 2019, with 12 births (#1,869).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Walt with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Walt at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 35 boys born in the United States were named Walt, the 3,376th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1959, when 81 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Walt in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Famous people named Walt
18 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Walt Whitman RostowAmerican economist, political theorist and government official (1916–2003)
- Walt FrazierAmerican basketball player (born 1945)
- Walt DohrnAmerican animator, born 1970
- Walt BellamyAmerican basketball player (1939-2013)
- Walt KellyAmerican cartoonist (1913-1973)
- Walt DavisAmerican basketball player (1931–2020)
- Walt HazzardAmerican basketball player (1942-2011)
- Walt BeckerAmerican actor and film director, born 1968
- Walt BrownAmerican racing driver (1911-1951)
- Walt KuhnAmerican painter (1877-1949)
- Walter SzczerbiakAmerican professional basketball player, born 1949
- Walt GorneyAmerican actor (1912-2004)
Questions
- What does the name Walt mean?
- Clipping of Walter. The derogatory British sense is a reference to the fictional character Walter Mitty from The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, a mild-mannered pushover who has wild fantasies about his life in various daring roles.
- How popular is the name Walt?
- In 2025, 3 boys born in England and Wales were named Walt, ranking 5,137th. Its peak was 2019, with 12 births.
- Is Walt a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 2,634 US babies named Walt since 1880 were boys.
- When was Walt most popular?
- 1959 in the United States, when 81 babies were named Walt, its highest rank at 842nd.
- How do you pronounce Walt?
- Walt is /wɔːlt/, one syllable.
- Is Walt also a surname?
- Yes. Walt is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.