Walter
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- WAWL-ter
- Origin
- Germanic
- UK rank, 2025
- #350 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #251 for boys
Walter is a boys' name of Germanic origin, meaning “ruler of the army”. In 2025 it ranked 350th for boys in the UK (135 babies) and 251st for boys in the US (1,381 babies).
What does Walter mean?
Germanic: via Norman French
“ruler of the army”
Brought to England by the Normans; Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Walter Scott are famous bearers.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Walter a girl's or a boy's name?
Walter is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 135 boys in the UK and 1,381 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Walter in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 350th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 135 about 1 in 2,200 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 20% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 135 boys in the UK were named Walter, making it the 350th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 317th. Its busiest year was 2019, with 184 boys.
Half of all the boys named Walter in the UK since 1996 were born between 2014 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among boys in 2025, it was 334th in England and Wales and 400th in Scotland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1904 (#19), 1914 (#23), 1924 (#34), 1934 (#54) and 1944 (#86).
Walter in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 135 | #350 |
| 2024 | 133 | #366 |
| 2023 | 130 | #361 |
| 2022 | 134 | #358 |
| 2021 | 161 | #324 |
| 2020 | 159 | #317 |
| 2019 | 184 | #292 |
| 2018 | 153 | #342 |
| 2017 | 134 | #385 |
| 2016 | 140 | #373 |
| 2015 | 111 | #427 |
| 2014 | 98 | #465 |
| 2013 | 60 | #637 |
| 2012 | 75 | #545 |
| 2011 | 47 | #745 |
| 2010 | 39 | #837 |
| 2009 | 30 | #972 |
| 2008 | 37 | #837 |
| 2007 | 18 | #1,343 |
| 2006 | 25 | #1,008 |
| 2005 | 15 | #1,384 |
| 2004 | 20 | #1,071 |
| 2003 | 14 | #1,272 |
| 2002 | 10 | #1,490 |
| 2001 | 15 | #1,103 |
| 2000 | 9 | #1,503 |
| 1999 | 11 | #1,267 |
| 1998 | 16 | #980 |
| 1997 | 14 | #1,066 |
| 1996 | 16 | #940 |
How popular is Walter in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 251st among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 1,381 about 1 in 1,200 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 2% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 1.1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 1,381 boys in the US were named Walter, making it the 251st most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 272nd. Its busiest year was 1918, with 13,338 boys.
2025 had more boys named Walter than any year since 1992.
Half of all the boys named Walter in the US since 1880 were born between 1920 and 1955, the years shaded on the chart below.
Walter in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,381 | #251 |
| 2024 | 1,269 | #271 |
| 2023 | 1,276 | #267 |
| 2022 | 1,278 | #268 |
| 2021 | 1,281 | #271 |
| 2020 | 1,240 | #272 |
| 2019 | 1,282 | #278 |
| 2018 | 1,313 | #271 |
| 2017 | 1,366 | #265 |
| 2016 | 1,172 | #302 |
| 2015 | 1,158 | #309 |
| 2014 | 987 | #337 |
| 2013 | 939 | #342 |
| 2012 | 805 | #375 |
| 2011 | 801 | #374 |
| 2010 | 784 | #372 |
| 2009 | 789 | #383 |
| 2008 | 764 | #393 |
| 2007 | 810 | #379 |
| 2006 | 850 | #356 |
| 2005 | 770 | #374 |
| 2004 | 767 | #364 |
| 2003 | 775 | #354 |
| 2002 | 833 | #330 |
| 2001 | 826 | #335 |
| 2000 | 949 | #308 |
| 1999 | 918 | #310 |
| 1998 | 896 | #311 |
| 1997 | 1,027 | #273 |
| 1996 | 1,035 | #272 |
| 1995 | 1,062 | #265 |
| 1994 | 1,152 | #250 |
| 1993 | 1,356 | #220 |
| 1992 | 1,421 | #218 |
| 1991 | 1,539 | #199 |
| 1990 | 1,614 | #191 |
| 1989 | 1,612 | #184 |
| 1988 | 1,610 | #175 |
| 1987 | 1,574 | #174 |
| 1986 | 1,715 | #156 |
| 1985 | 1,690 | #163 |
| 1984 | 1,689 | #161 |
| 1983 | 1,767 | #154 |
| 1982 | 1,912 | #147 |
| 1981 | 1,990 | #138 |
| 1980 | 2,009 | #137 |
| 1979 | 2,123 | #128 |
| 1978 | 1,991 | #131 |
| 1977 | 2,185 | #123 |
| 1976 | 2,101 | #127 |
| 1975 | 2,355 | #112 |
| 1974 | 2,487 | #104 |
| 1973 | 2,626 | #101 |
| 1972 | 2,918 | #98 |
| 1971 | 3,356 | #91 |
| 1970 | 3,584 | #89 |
| 1969 | 3,569 | #84 |
| 1968 | 3,589 | #83 |
| 1967 | 3,808 | #81 |
| 1966 | 4,057 | #83 |
| 1965 | 4,483 | #82 |
| 1964 | 4,843 | #80 |
| 1963 | 5,068 | #77 |
| 1962 | 5,282 | #79 |
| 1961 | 5,467 | #74 |
| 1960 | 5,763 | #70 |
| 1959 | 6,128 | #66 |
| 1958 | 6,316 | #63 |
| 1957 | 6,707 | #58 |
| 1956 | 7,019 | #53 |
| 1955 | 7,299 | #51 |
| 1954 | 7,486 | #49 |
| 1953 | 7,509 | #45 |
| 1952 | 7,897 | #44 |
| 1951 | 8,038 | #42 |
| 1950 | 7,798 | #40 |
| 1949 | 8,297 | #37 |
| 1948 | 8,627 | #35 |
| 1947 | 9,218 | #34 |
| 1946 | 8,668 | #30 |
| 1945 | 7,574 | #27 |
| 1944 | 8,159 | #26 |
| 1943 | 9,035 | #26 |
| 1942 | 8,682 | #26 |
| 1941 | 7,745 | #26 |
| 1940 | 7,723 | #25 |
| 1939 | 7,322 | #25 |
| 1938 | 7,560 | #26 |
| 1937 | 7,488 | #26 |
| 1936 | 7,536 | #26 |
| 1935 | 7,816 | #23 |
| 1934 | 8,092 | #21 |
| 1933 | 7,756 | #21 |
| 1932 | 8,667 | #21 |
| 1931 | 8,940 | #20 |
| 1930 | 9,731 | #19 |
| 1929 | 9,850 | #19 |
| 1928 | 10,651 | #18 |
| 1927 | 11,346 | #17 |
| 1926 | 11,774 | #17 |
| 1925 | 12,130 | #16 |
| 1924 | 12,696 | #16 |
| 1923 | 12,433 | #16 |
| 1922 | 12,631 | #15 |
| 1921 | 13,004 | #15 |
| 1920 | 13,294 | #13 |
| 1919 | 12,879 | #11 |
| 1918 | 13,338 | #11 |
| 1917 | 12,582 | #11 |
| 1916 | 11,760 | #11 |
| 1915 | 11,255 | #11 |
| 1914 | 8,962 | #10 |
| 1913 | 6,890 | #11 |
| 1912 | 5,809 | #11 |
| 1911 | 3,074 | #12 |
| 1910 | 2,596 | #13 |
| 1909 | 2,287 | #12 |
| 1908 | 2,192 | #12 |
| 1907 | 2,095 | #12 |
| 1906 | 1,934 | #12 |
| 1905 | 1,902 | #12 |
| 1904 | 1,873 | #12 |
| 1903 | 1,840 | #12 |
| 1902 | 1,858 | #12 |
| 1901 | 1,718 | #12 |
| 1900 | 2,298 | #12 |
| 1899 | 1,750 | #12 |
| 1898 | 2,002 | #13 |
| 1897 | 1,895 | #12 |
| 1896 | 2,017 | #13 |
| 1895 | 2,015 | #13 |
| 1894 | 2,010 | #13 |
| 1893 | 2,004 | #13 |
| 1892 | 2,229 | #13 |
| 1891 | 1,668 | #13 |
| 1890 | 1,905 | #13 |
| 1889 | 1,916 | #13 |
| 1888 | 2,040 | #13 |
| 1887 | 1,704 | #13 |
| 1886 | 1,880 | #13 |
| 1885 | 1,808 | #13 |
| 1884 | 1,902 | #13 |
| 1883 | 1,705 | #13 |
| 1882 | 1,805 | #13 |
| 1881 | 1,670 | #13 |
| 1880 | 1,755 | #13 |
Nicknames for Walter
Names like Walter
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Frederick, Albert, Arthur, Wilfred, Henry, Chester, Ernest, Stanley, Leonard, William, Frank, Alfred
Names related to Walter
More Germanic names
Amelia, Liam, Charlotte, Archie, Charlie, Emma, Freddie, Ella, Harry, Millie, Albie, Matilda, Louie, Miles, Alice, Myles
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Walter: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/walter, updated 20 October 2026.