Walker is both a Waspy surname name--as in the W in George W. Bush-- but it also has a gentle ambling quality and a creative connection to such greats as writer Walker Percy and photographer Walker Evans, whose father was also named Walker.

As a common surname, Walker has many other notable namesakes, including author Alice, football great Herschel Walker, blues guitarist T-Bone, and contemporary artist Kara.

Walker was a popular first name around the turn of the last century, reaching Number 296 in 1896, remained in use through 1955, then made a return in 1983, becoming a prime representative of the aspirational surnames of the 1980s and 90s. It's now at Number 417.