The first name Walter
A boy’s name meaning “ruler”, “army”, “host”.
Pronounced /ˈwɔltɚ/ 2 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Walter means “ruler”, “army”, “host”.
A Germanic name, from Middle English Walter, from Old Northern French Waltier, from Frankish *Waltheri (compare Old High German Waltheri, which see for more details), from Proto-West Germanic *Waldahari, from Proto-Germanic *Waldaharjaz, from *waldą (“ruler”) + *harjaz (“army, host”). Related to Old English Waldhere. Compare herald and Harold, in which these elements are reversed.
More names that mean king, warrior.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 127 boys were named Walter, making it the 334th most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 2019, with 178 births (#271).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Walter with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Walter at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 1,381 boys born in the United States were named Walter, the 252nd most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1918, when 13,338 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.
Walter in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Walter in German and Polish too.
Nicknames and spellings
Nicknames for Walter
- Walt
- Wal
- Watt
Famous people named Walter
667 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Walter BenjaminGerman cultural critic, philosopher and social critic (1892–1940)
- Walter GropiusGerman-American architect (1883–1969)
- Luis Walter AlvarezAmerican experimental physicist, inventor, and professor (1911–1988)
- Walter Houser BrattainAmerican physicist (1902–1987)
- Walter UlbrichtGerman communist politician and dictator (1893–1973)
- Walter RaleighEnglish statesman, soldier and writer (1552–1618)
- Walter MatthauAmerican actor, comedian and director (1920–2000)
- Walter GilbertAmerican biochemist, born 1932
- Walter CronkiteAmerican broadcast journalist (1916-2009)
- Walter KohnAmerican physicist (1923–2016)
- Walter BaadeGerman astronomer (1893–1960)
- Walter BrennanAmerican actor (1894–1974)
Questions
- What does the name Walter mean?
- Walter means “ruler”, “army”, “host”.
- How popular is the name Walter?
- In 2025, 127 boys born in England and Wales were named Walter, ranking 334th. Its peak was 2019, with 178 births.
- What are nicknames for Walter?
- Common nicknames for Walter include Walt, Wal, Watt.
- Is Walter a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 99% of the 634,804 US babies named Walter since 1880 were boys.
- When was Walter most popular?
- 1918 in the United States, when 13,338 babies were named Walter, its highest rank at 11th.
- How do you pronounce Walter?
- Walter is /ˈwɔltɚ/, 2 syllables.
- Is Walter also a surname?
- Yes. Walter is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.