Male name
Walter
2,045 births (England and Wales, 1996–2025), peaking in 2019.
Origin
A Germanic name, from Middle English Walter, from Old Northern French Waltier, from Frankish *Waltheri (compare Old High German Waltheri, which see for more details), from Proto-West Germanic *Waldahari, from Proto-Germanic *Waldaharjaz, from *waldą (“ruler”) + *harjaz (“army, host”). Related to Old English Waldhere. Compare herald and Harold, in which these elements are reversed.From Wiktionary, entry “Walter”, text under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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How many babies received it
From the official birth registers.
In England and Wales
Peak in 2019: 178 births. 2,045 births from 1996 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 2010s and 2020s. It really came into use around 2006. It is still given: 662 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the United States
Peak in 1918: 13,418 births. 634,804 births from 1880 to 2025. A name given steadily, decade after decade, from the 1910s to the 1950s. At its peak, it ranked 10th among boys' names in 1914. It is still given: 6,485 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names, public domain.
In Ireland
Peak in 1968: 32 births. 535 births from 1964 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. It is still given: 21 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Central Statistics Office, Irish Babies' Names, CC BY 4.0.
Elsewhere in the world
The name in the birth records of the 10 countries we track. The period covered varies from country to country.
| Country | Births | Period | Best rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 21,938* | 1915–2025 | — |
| France | 6,600 | 1900–2025 | — |
| Argentina | 5,986 | 2012–2023 | — |
| Austria | 933 | 1984–2025 | 63rd in 1984 |
| Berlin | 220 | 2012–2023 | — |
| Quebec | 115 | 1980–2025 | — |
* These are the people living in the country, counted by year of birth, not the number of births.
Source: Federal Statistical Office, First names of the population by year of birth, free use with attribution; INSEE, Fichier des prénoms, Etalab Open Licence 2.0; RENAPER, Nombres propios en Argentina, CC BY 4.0 (the registry doesn't record sex); Statistik Austria, Vornamen, CC BY 4.0; Open Data Berlin, Häufige Vornamen, CC BY 3.0 DE (every name a child carries, not only the first); Retraite Québec, Banque de prénoms, CC BY 4.0.
The numbers of the name
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Your name and theirs
The number of each name, and the number of the bond, which comes from adding them together. A symbolic game: what your two names say together, to be read as a metaphor, not as a verdict on your relationship.