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Walter

Heart
German
"army ruler"

Walter Origin and Meaning

The name Walter is a boy's name of German origin meaning "army ruler".

Walter was seen as a noble name in the Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Walter Scott era, but it then spent decades in baby name limbo. Now quite a few independent-minded parents are looking at it as a renewable, slightly quirky, classic, stronger and more distinctive than James or John, second only to William among the handsome classic boy baby names starting with W.

A favorite Norman name, Walter was extremely popular in medieval England, where it was pronounced "Water" and a common short form was Wat. In the US, Walter's heyday was from the 1870s through the 1940s.

The recent popularity of Breaking Bad has brought us Walter White, conferring on the name Walter a new kind of cool and prompting a fresh wave of popularity.Plus there are all those great Walters and Walts to consider, from Whitman to Disney to Cronkite to Mondale to Payton to Matthau. And then there's the ultimate fantasizer Walter Mitty, not to mention (Walter) Bruce Willis. Recently, actor Rainn Wilson named his son Walter.

Short forms include Walt, Wally, and the antiquated Wat.

# 269 in the US

Walter Rank in US Top 1000

# 175 on Nameberry

Walter Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Walter Popularity

20 Names Similar to Walter

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Famous People Named Walter

  • Walter Elias "Walt" DisneyAmerican film producer and icon
  • Walter "Walt" WhitmanAmerican poet
  • Walter Leland CronkiteAmerican journalist
  • Walter Inglis AndersonAmerican painter
  • Walter BenjaminGerman social and cultural theorist
  • Walter Perry JohnsonAmerican baseball pitcher
  • Walter Chauncey CampAmerican football player and coach
  • Walter KirnAmerican novelist
  • Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale42nd Vice President of the United States
  • (Walter) Bruce WillisAmerican actor
  • Sir Walter RaleighEnglish explorer
  • Walter Benjamin LantzAmerican creator of Woody Woodpecker
  • Walter ScottScottish historical novelist
  • Walter Matthau (born Walter John Matthow)American actor
  • Walter KohnAustrian,American theoretical physicist and Nobel Prize winner
  • (Lionel) Walter Rothschild2nd Baron Rothschild, British MP and zoologist
  • Walter Adolph Georg GropiusGerman founder of Bauhaus architecture
  • Walter Heinrich HeitlerGerman physicist
  • Walter Hermann SchottkyGerman physicist
  • Walter "Wally" SchirraAmerican astronaut
  • Walter GraumanAmerican TV, film, and stage director
  • Walter Paytonformer American football player
  • Walter Ray WilliamsJr., Professional Bowler and Horseshoe Pitcher
  • Walter "Walt" Flanaganactor and star of AMC's Comic Book Men
  • Walter LiberaceAmerican entertainer and pianist
  • Walter WickAuthor and Photographer of "Can You See What I See?" Book Series.
  • Walter MartinFamous American Baptist Minister, Christian Apologist, known as "The Bible Answer Man"

Walter in Pop Culture

  • Walter LongmireFrom the TV show Longmire & The books by Craig Johnson
  • Walter White Sr. and Jr.characters on TV's "Breaking Bad"
  • Walter Shermancharacter on TV show "The Finder"
  • Walter Bishopcharacter on TV's 'Fringe'
  • Walter Mittymain character in book/film "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"
  • Walter Blytheson of Anne and Gilbert Blythe in the "Anne of Green Gables" series
  • Walter Sullivancharacter in the game "Silent Hill 4: The Room"
  • Walter Sobchakcharacter in movie "The Big Lebowski"
  • Walter William ClarkNYPD homicide detective in "Golden Boy"
  • Walter Skinnercharacter on "X,Files"
  • WalterMuppet character
  • Waltercharacter in the film "Secondhand Lions"
  • Walter Neffmain character in film noir 'Double Indemnity' (1944)
  • Waltercharacter in film Zathura
  • Walter DinsmoreElsie Dinsmore's uncle in Elsie Dinsmore series
  • Walter Davenantmain character in G. A. Henty's, Orange and Green
  • Walter TravillaElsie Dinsmore Travilla's son in the Elsie Dinsmore series
  • Walter Somersmain character in G. A. Henty's, St. George for England
  • Walter "Walt" Lloydcharacter from TV's LOST
  • Walter Steelecharacter in DC Universe
  • Walter Mabrycharacter in the movie "Now You See Me 2"
  • Walter Nelsoncharacter in the film "Minions"
  • Waltercharacter from "On the Road"
  • Walter O'Briencharacter in CBS show 'Scorpion'
  • Waltolomew "Walter" Stricklercharacter in the Netflix series "Trollhunters"
  • Walter Lee Youngercharacter in Lorraine Hansberry's Play "A Raisin in the Sun"
  • Walter J. Chapmancharacter in the 2004 Film "Garfield The Movie" Walter is the brother of
  • Happy Chapman
  • Walter Peckcharacter in the 1984 Film "Ghostbusters"
  • Walter Bluntmain character in the sitcom "Blunt Talk" Walter Blunt the British newscaster was played by Patrick Stewart