Walter
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
About Walter
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.
Walter for boys#252 US
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.
Walter for girls
Walter as a feminine name represents an uncommon gender-crossing usage of a traditionally masculine name. Of Germanic origin, Walter derives from the elements 'wald' meaning 'rule' or 'power' and 'hari' meaning 'army', thus translating to 'powerful warrior' or 'army ruler'. While historically and predominantly used for boys, some parents choose Walter for girls as part of the trend toward gender-neutral naming or to honor a family member. As a feminine name, Walter carries a distinctive, strong quality that stands out in contrast to more conventional feminine names. Though extremely rare for girls (with most Walters being male), this usage reflects contemporary willingness to challenge traditional gender-based naming conventions. When used for girls, Walter often elicits surprise and may be paired with more traditionally feminine middle names.
Pronounced WAWL-ter.
As of October 2026, Walter ranked #252 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #10 in 1914, Nameberry popularity #143.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · boys | Births · boys | US rank · girls | Births · girls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #337 | 987 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #309 | 1,157 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #302 | 1,172 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #265 | 1,366 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #271 | 1,313 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #278 | 1,282 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #272 | 1,240 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #271 | 1,281 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #269 | 1,278 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #267 | 1,274 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #271 | 1,264 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #252 | 1,381 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Walter.
Walter on lists
Famous Walters
- Walter Elias "Walt" DisneyBoy
American film producer and icon
- Walter "Walt" WhitmanBoy
American poet
- Walter Leland CronkiteBoy
American journalist
- Walter Inglis AndersonBoy
American painter
- Walter BenjaminBoy
German social and cultural theorist
- Walter Perry JohnsonBoy
American baseball pitcher
- Walter Chauncey CampBoy
American football player and coach
- Walter KirnBoy
American novelist
- Walter Frederick "Fritz" MondaleBoy
42nd Vice President of the United States
- (Walter) Bruce WillisBoy
American actor
- Sir Walter RaleighBoy
English explorer
- Walter Benjamin LantzBoy
American creator of Woody Woodpecker
- Walter ScottBoy
Scottish historical novelist
- Walter Matthau (born Walter John Matthow)Boy
American actor
- Walter KohnBoy
Austrian,American theoretical physicist and Nobel Prize winner
- (Lionel) Walter RothschildBoy
2nd Baron Rothschild, British MP and zoologist
- Walter Adolph Georg GropiusBoy
German founder of Bauhaus architecture
- Walter Heinrich HeitlerBoy
German physicist
- Walter Hermann SchottkyBoy
German physicist
- Walter "Wally" SchirraBoy
American astronaut
- Walter GraumanBoy
American TV, film, and stage director
- Walter PaytonBoy
former American football player
- Walter Ray WilliamsBoy
Jr., Professional Bowler and Horseshoe Pitcher
- Walter "Walt" FlanaganBoy
actor and star of AMC's Comic Book Men
- Walter LiberaceBoy
American entertainer and pianist
- Walter WickBoy
Author and Photographer of "Can You See What I See?" Book Series.
- Walter MartinBoy
Famous American Baptist Minister, Christian Apologist, known as "The Bible Answer Man"
Walter in pop culture
- Walter LongmireBoy
From the TV show Longmire & The books by Craig Johnson
- Walter White Sr. and Jr.Boy
characters on TV's "Breaking Bad"
- Walter ShermanBoy
character on TV show "The Finder"
- Walter BishopBoy
character on TV's 'Fringe'
- Walter MittyBoy
main character in book/film "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"
- Walter BlytheBoy
son of Anne and Gilbert Blythe in the "Anne of Green Gables" series
- Walter SullivanBoy
character in the game "Silent Hill 4: The Room"
- Walter SobchakBoy
character in movie "The Big Lebowski"
- Walter William ClarkBoy
NYPD homicide detective in "Golden Boy"
- Walter SkinnerBoy
character on "X,Files"
- WalterBoy
Muppet character
- WalterBoy
character in the film "Secondhand Lions"
- Walter NeffBoy
main character in film noir 'Double Indemnity' (1944)
- WalterBoy
character in film Zathura
- Walter DinsmoreBoy
Elsie Dinsmore's uncle in Elsie Dinsmore series
- Walter DavenantBoy
main character in G. A. Henty's, Orange and Green
- Walter TravillaBoy
Elsie Dinsmore Travilla's son in the Elsie Dinsmore series
- Walter SomersBoy
main character in G. A. Henty's, St. George for England
- Walter "Walt" LloydBoy
character from TV's LOST
- Walter SteeleBoy
character in DC Universe
- Walter MabryBoy
character in the movie "Now You See Me 2"
- Walter NelsonBoy
character in the film "Minions"
- WalterBoy
character from "On the Road"
- Walter O'BrienBoy
character in CBS show 'Scorpion'
- Waltolomew "Walter" StricklerBoy
character in the Netflix series "Trollhunters"
- Walter Lee YoungerBoy
character in Lorraine Hansberry's Play "A Raisin in the Sun"
- Walter J. ChapmanBoy
character in the 2004 Film "Garfield The Movie" Walter is the brother of
- Walter PeckBoy
character in the 1984 Film "Ghostbusters"
- Walter BluntBoy
main character in the sitcom "Blunt Talk" Walter Blunt the British newscaster was played by Patrick Stewart
- "Walter Lesly"Boy
A ballad in the 19th century collection "The Child Ballads"
- Walter FinchBoy
character in video game “What Remains of Edith Finch”