ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1880 First Year 1995 Last Year 1925 Peak Year #736 Peak Rank 4K Total Count 114 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Walter What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Walter is a German and English masculine given name of Germanic origin, composed of the elements meaning "power" or "ruler", and "army". Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter%5F%28name%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter%5F%28name%29) 🏛️Origin & history The name Walter is of Germanic origin composed of the elements walt- ( Proto-Germanic \*wald- ) "power", "ruler", and hari (Proto-Germanic \*χarja ) "army". The name is first recorded in the 6th century, with Walthari son of Wacho , who was king of the Lombards during 539–546\. Old Germanic forms are recorded as Walthari , Waltari , Walthar , Waltar , Waltere , Waldheri , Waldhere , Waltheri , Walthere , Walther , Walter , Waldher , and Valter . The Old English equivalent is Wealdhere , Old Norse has Valðar and Valdarr . It was later used in modern English as Walter. The name was popularized by t [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Walter](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Sir_Thomas_Lawrence_%281769-1830%29_-_Sir_Walter_Scott_%281771-1832%29_-_RCIN_400644_-_Royal_Collection.jpg/330px-Sir_Thomas_Lawrence_%281769-1830%29_-_Sir_Walter_Scott_%281771-1832%29_-_RCIN_400644_-_Royal_Collection.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter%5F%28name%29) 📖 ## The Story of Walter Walter first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 1,755 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1918, when 13,338 Walters were born — ranking #11 that year. As of 2026, Walter ranks #268 for baby boys with 1,275 births, holding steady (-2%). In total, more than 632K Walters have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## Popularity by State ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🎶 ## Names that sound like Walter Phonetically similar names — useful when Walter is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * Welter * Walder * Wolter * Halter * Haltere * Water * [Walt](/walt) * [Wilder](/wilder) * Welder * [Walters](/walters) * [Waller](/waller) * Watr Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Walter What does the name Walter mean? Walter is a German and English masculine given name of Germanic origin, composed of the elements meaning "power" or "ruler", and "army". How popular is Walter in 2026? In 2026, Walter ranks #268 among boys' names in the U.S., with 1,275 babies given the name that year. When was Walter most popular? Walter reached its peak popularity in 1918, ranking #10 that year with 13,338 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Walter most popular? Walter has historically been most popular in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Idaho. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Walter. Is Walter a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Walter is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name. What names go well with Walter? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Walter include Scott, Steven, Larry. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names [👧SantosPeak #736](/santos)[👧PalmaPeak #736](/palma)[👧WaverlyPeak #736](/waverly)[👧MyrlPeak #737](/myrl)[👧MickiePeak #737](/mickie)[👧DonitaPeak #735](/donita)[👧ElwandaPeak #737](/elwanda)[👧RainaPeak #737](/raina) ## About the name Walter Walter is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 632K births in the dataset. Walter's peak popularity came in 1918 when it ranked #10\. Use the chart and map above to compare Walter's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1918 → ](/year/1918) * [ Names of the 1910s → ](/decade/1910s) * [ Names starting with "W" → ](/letter/w) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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.