Walker
Walker is an occupational male given name, deriving from the English term for "cloth washer". It has recently increased in use for boys in the United States due to the influence of the American CW Network television series Walker, a reboot of the 1993-2001 television series Walker, Texas Ranger. It was first recorded as a name in the Middle Ages.
Meaning & Origin of Walker
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Walker is an occupational male given name, deriving from the English term for "cloth washer". It has recently increased in use for boys in the United States due to the influence of the American CW Network television series Walker, a reboot of the 1993-2001 television series Walker, Texas Ranger. It was first recorded as a name in the Middle Ages.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Walker
Walker first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 29 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2026, when 4,822 Walkers were born — ranking #70 that year. As of 2026, Walker ranks #70 for baby boys with 4,822 births, rising sharply (+146% over the past five years). In total, more than 53K Walkers have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Walker
Phonetically similar names — useful when Walker is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Weaker
- Wicker
- Wacker
- Whacker
- Waker
- Whicker
- Wecker
- Wiker
- Hawker
- War
- Walk
- Worker
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Walker
What does the name Walker mean?
How popular is Walker in 2026?
When was Walker most popular?
In which U.S. states is Walker most popular?
Is Walker a unisex name?
What names go well with Walker?
About the name Walker
Walker is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 53K births in the dataset. Walker's peak popularity came in 2026 when it ranked #70. Use the chart and map above to compare Walker's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2026 →
- Names of the 2020s →
- Names starting with "W" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.