Walter - Name Meaning and Origin

The boy's name Walter \wa(l)-ter\ is pronounced WAL-ter. It is of Old German origin, and its meaning is "commander of the army". Norman name that was brought to Britain and has been used rather steadily for the last 900 years. Cartoonist Walt Disney; poet Walt Whitman; journalist Walter Cronkite; actors Walter Brennan, Walter Matthau.

Walter has 13 variant forms: Gaultier, Gauthier, Gautier, Gualterio, Gualtiero, Valter, Valther, Walder, Wally, Walt, Walther, Wat and Watkins.

For more information, see also related names Galt, Walden and Watt.

Baby names that sound like Walter are Alter and Wilder.

Walter is a very popular male first name and a very popular surname (source: 1990 U.S. Census). Displayed below is the baby name popularity trend for the boy's name Walter. Click here to compare Walter with related baby names.