boy's name
Walter
WAWL-ter
- Origin Germanic
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 646,159
the United States
#251
2025 births
Walter is a boy's name from Germanic elements meaning ruler of the army. It peaked in 1918 and our data marks it reviving — it now ranks 251st in the United States, a recovery arriving more than a century after its high point.
- Walter is a name of Germanic origin.
- Peaked in 1918, when 13,418 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 2,401 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Walter over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 18,255 |
| 1890s | 19,613 |
| 1900s | 20,126 |
| 1910s | 89,635 |
| 1920s | 120,673 |
| 1930s | 81,489 |
| 1940s | 84,106 |
| 1950s | 72,529 |
| 1960s | 46,195 |
| 1970s | 25,942 |
| 1980s | 17,718 |
| 1990s | 12,058 |
| 2000s | 8,133 |
| 2010s | 10,607 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 7,725 |
What Walter means
Walter means ruler of the army, or commander of the host. The Germanic original joins a word for power or rule to one meaning an army, so both halves are about command rather than about the man himself.
Where Walter comes from
Walter comes from the Germanic Waldhari — wald, rule or power, joined to hari, an army. It reached England twice: an Old English form existed before the Conquest, and the Normans brought their own Waltier, which is the version that survived. Medieval English pronounced it Water, with the l silent, which is why Shakespeare's characters call Walter by that sound and why the surname Waters descends from it. Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Walter Scott carried it into the modern era, and its recent revival belongs to the broader return of names last common around the First World War.
Walter in use
Walter peaked in the United States in 1918, when 13,418 babies were registered, and our data marks it reviving. It now ranks 251st in the United States on 1,381 births, 337th in England and Wales on 127, 512th in Scotland, 1022nd in Ireland and 2983rd in France, across 646,159 lifetime births. The gap between the 1918 peak and the current recovery is roughly a century, which is the interval at which names typically stop sounding like a grandparent and start sounding like a great-grandparent.
How popular is Walter?
In 2025, Walter was given to 1,381 babies in the United States, ranking #251 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Walter is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Walter
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Walter also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Walter over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Walter
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Walter in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Walter
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Walter — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Walter
What does the name Walter mean?
Ruler of the army — the Germanic wald, rule, joined to hari, an army.
Is Walter coming back?
Our data marks it reviving. It ranks 251st in the United States and 337th in England and Wales, after peaking in 1918.
Why was Walter once pronounced Water?
Medieval English dropped the l. The surname Waters descends from that pronunciation.
How popular is Walter?
251st in the United States on 1,381 births.
Is Walter a girl's or a boy's name?
Walter is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Walter?
Walter has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Walter?
Walter is usually shortened to Walt and Wally.
Is Walter a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Walter currently ranks #251 in the United States. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.