Walter

“Ruler of the army” — Germanic origin

Boy's name · #252 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Few names move less than Walter — on the books since 1880, #252 in 2025, and dependable in between. Roughly 631,000 boys share it. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records. Walter's short forms are Walt and Watt.

Around the world: #29 in Sweden (2025) · #48 in Denmark (2025) · #94 in Australia (QLD) (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 47 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Walters

Walter Scott — Scottish novelist, poet and playwright (1771–1832)
Walter Benjamin — German cultural critic, philosopher and social critic (1892–1940)
Walter Gropius — German-American architect (1883–1969)
Walter Mondale — Vice President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 (1928–2021)
Walter Houser Brattain — American physicist (1902–1987)

In stories & tradition

Walter White — Breaking Bad · Better Call Saul
Walter (Walt Lloyd) — Lost
Walter (Howard Stark) — Earth-616

What Walters become

Among 14,607 notable people named Walter:

Lawyers & judges appear 1.81× more often than among typical names — e.g. Walter Simons, German politician and judge (1861-1937).

Similar names: Edwin · Warren · Edward · Wallace · Edgar · Marshall

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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