Walter

Last seen for girls in 1995 at #11,783 · #251 for boys in 2025, 1,381 births
Given to boys 99.4% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
#10
1914 · 8,962 births
Debut · boys
1880
1,755 births
In top 100 · boys
93 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
631,172
since 1880

Walter over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201946peak #10, 1914boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025—#2511,381
2024—#2711,269
2023—#2671,276
2022—#2681,278
2021—#2711,281
2020—#2721,240
2019—#2781,282
2018—#2711,313
2017—#2651,366
2016—#3021,172
2015—#3091,158
2014—#337987
2013—#342939
2012—#375805
2011—#374801
2010—#372784
2009—#383789
2008—#393764
2007—#379810
2006—#356850
2005—#374770
2004—#364767
2003—#354775
2002—#330833
2001—#335826
2000—#308949
1999—#310918
1998—#311896
1997—#2731,027
1996—#2721,035
1995#11,7836#2651,062
1994#10,5697#2501,152
1993#9,5598#2201,356
1992#8,06510#2181,421
1991—#1991,539
1990#10,1937#1911,614
1989#10,8476#1841,612
1988#3,89323#1751,610
1987#4,12220#1741,574
1986#6,61210#1561,715
1985#3,98320#1631,690
1984#6,8109#1611,689
1983#6,21210#1541,767
1982#4,02519#1471,912
1981#4,34417#1381,990
1980#4,51716#1372,009
1979#3,54122#1282,123
1978#3,38822#1311,991
1977#4,94213#1232,185
1976#3,40720#1272,101
1975#2,96924#1122,355
1974#5,01111#1042,487
1973#3,78716#1012,626
1972#2,39830#982,918
1971#2,66527#913,356
1970#2,39531#893,584
1969#2,51527#843,569
1968#2,24629#833,589
1967#2,55823#813,808
1966#2,45324#834,057
1965#2,93818#824,483
1964#3,37915#804,843
1963#2,21129#775,068
1962#1,98934#795,282
1961#1,92136#745,467
1960#2,06131#705,763
1959#1,85236#666,128
1958#1,85635#636,316
1957#2,02829#586,707
1956#1,79635#537,019
1955#1,73336#517,299
1954#1,76934#497,486
1953#1,73833#457,509
1952#1,97826#447,897
1951#1,70132#428,038
1950#1,55036#407,798
1949#1,73630#378,297
1948#1,77828#358,627
1947#1,57636#349,218
1946#1,31843#308,668
1945#1,54328#277,574
1944#1,18844#268,159
1943#1,18147#269,035
1942#1,18045#268,682
1941#1,22238#267,745
1940#1,17039#257,723
1939#98751#257,322
1938#1,15939#267,560
1937#98151#267,488
1936#1,18636#267,536
1935#91257#237,816
1934#87161#218,092
1933#90456#217,756
1932#78175#218,667
1931#80671#208,940
1930#76884#199,731
1929#698100#199,850
1928#75689#1810,651
1927#73993#1711,346
1926#74892#1711,774
1925#736100#1612,130
1924#80486#1612,696
1923#82878#1612,433
1922#79883#1512,631
1921#85774#1513,004
1920#87269#1313,294
1919#85866#1112,879
1918#79680#1113,338
1917#79276#1112,582
1916#78974#1111,760
1915#88555#1111,255
1914#97237#108,962
1913#83040#116,890
1912#79539#115,809
1911#1,37212#123,074
1910#1,42111#132,596
1909#1,05215#122,287
1908#1,8626#122,192
1907#81921#122,095
1906#1,10112#121,934
1905#1,2989#121,902
1904#1,00113#121,873
1903#96913#121,840
1902#1,02412#121,858
1901#79517#121,718
1900#1,17111#122,298
1899#1,3946#121,750
1898#1,04711#132,002
1897#76117#121,895
1896#1,1229#132,017
1895#98611#132,015
1894#71917#132,010
1893#76715#132,004
1892#95810#132,229
1891#89310#131,668
1890#79112#131,905
1889#9029#131,916
1888#1,2765#132,040
1887—#131,704
1886#69311#131,880
1885#8427#131,808
1884#8517#131,902
1883#9205#131,705
1882#7407#131,805
1881#50311#131,670
1880#6288#131,755
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Walter was already there! It came in at #13, and was given to 1,755 baby boys.

Quietest stretch: 1995–2014, when fewer than 1,100 boys a year got the name.

Where Walter is popular in 1946

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #43 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 116 boysAKMaine: #41 for boys · 50 births · 1 in 180 boysMEVermont: #46 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 210 boysVTNew Hampshire: #31 for boys · 34 births · 1 in 149 boysNHWashington: #50 for boys · 93 births · 1 in 262 boysWAIdaho: #83 for boys · 17 births · 1 in 339 boysIDMontana: #40 for boys · 29 births · 1 in 193 boysMTNorth Dakota: #84 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 407 boysNDMinnesota: #64 for boys · 92 births · 1 in 337 boysMNIllinois: #35 for boys · 431 births · 1 in 192 boysILWisconsin: #50 for boys · 126 births · 1 in 275 boysWIMichigan: #37 for boys · 331 births · 1 in 199 boysMINew York: #36 for boys · 812 births · 1 in 173 boysNYMassachusetts: #31 for boys · 335 births · 1 in 140 boysMARhode Island: #34 for boys · 48 births · 1 in 158 boysRIOregon: #57 for boys · 48 births · 1 in 293 boysORNevada: fewer than 5 boys named Walter, so not publishedNVWyoming: #87 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 396 boysWYSouth Dakota: #72 for boys · 17 births · 1 in 368 boysSDIowa: #74 for boys · 64 births · 1 in 420 boysIAIndiana: #55 for boys · 133 births · 1 in 302 boysINOhio: #42 for boys · 345 births · 1 in 235 boysOHPennsylvania: #29 for boys · 720 births · 1 in 145 boysPANew Jersey: #25 for boys · 381 births · 1 in 115 boysNJConnecticut: #26 for boys · 140 births · 1 in 135 boysCTCalifornia: #55 for boys · 392 births · 1 in 270 boysCAUtah: #87 for boys · 21 births · 1 in 389 boysUTColorado: #47 for boys · 59 births · 1 in 233 boysCONebraska: #69 for boys · 37 births · 1 in 344 boysNEMissouri: #38 for boys · 198 births · 1 in 197 boysMOKentucky: #39 for boys · 154 births · 1 in 218 boysKYWest Virginia: #37 for boys · 117 births · 1 in 198 boysWVVirginia: #21 for boys · 281 births · 1 in 118 boysVAMaryland: #22 for boys · 191 births · 1 in 115 boysMDDelaware: #26 for boys · 22 births · 1 in 130 boysDEArizona: #41 for boys · 42 births · 1 in 184 boysAZNew Mexico: #79 for boys · 25 births · 1 in 306 boysNMKansas: #59 for boys · 60 births · 1 in 298 boysKSArkansas: #36 for boys · 118 births · 1 in 189 boysARTennessee: #33 for boys · 241 births · 1 in 154 boysTNNorth Carolina: #28 for boys · 351 births · 1 in 136 boysNCSouth Carolina: #30 for boys · 184 births · 1 in 141 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #32 for boys · 69 births · 1 in 165 boysDCOklahoma: #52 for boys · 89 births · 1 in 261 boysOKLouisiana: #34 for boys · 199 births · 1 in 155 boysLAMississippi: #19 for boys · 285 births · 1 in 94 boysMSAlabama: #25 for boys · 327 births · 1 in 109 boysALGeorgia: #24 for boys · 354 births · 1 in 114 boysGAHawaii: #38 for boys · 39 births · 1 in 136 boysHITexas: #50 for boys · 352 births · 1 in 253 boysTXFlorida: #28 for boys · 168 births · 1 in 151 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Mississippi#19 · 1 in 94
  2. Virginia#21 · 1 in 118
  3. Maryland#22 · 1 in 115
  4. Georgia#24 · 1 in 114
  5. Alabama#25 · 1 in 109

Best ever in a state: #6 in Minnesota, 1910.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Mississippi#192851 in 94
Virginia#212811 in 118
Maryland#221911 in 115
Georgia#243541 in 114
Alabama#253271 in 109
New Jersey#253811 in 115
Connecticut#261401 in 135
Delaware#26221 in 130
Florida#281681 in 151
North Carolina#283511 in 136
Pennsylvania#297201 in 145
South Carolina#301841 in 141
Massachusetts#313351 in 140
New Hampshire#31341 in 149
District of Columbia#32691 in 165
Tennessee#332411 in 154
Louisiana#341991 in 155
Rhode Island#34481 in 158
Illinois#354311 in 192
Arkansas#361181 in 189
New York#368121 in 173
Michigan#373311 in 199
West Virginia#371171 in 198
Hawaii#38391 in 136
Missouri#381981 in 197
Kentucky#391541 in 218
Montana#40291 in 193
Arizona#41421 in 184
Maine#41501 in 180
Ohio#423451 in 235
Alaska#4361 in 116
Vermont#46161 in 210
Colorado#47591 in 233
Texas#503521 in 253
Washington#50931 in 262
Wisconsin#501261 in 275
Oklahoma#52891 in 261
California#553921 in 270
Indiana#551331 in 302
Oregon#57481 in 293
Kansas#59601 in 298
Minnesota#64921 in 337
Nebraska#69371 in 344
South Dakota#72171 in 368
Iowa#74641 in 420
New Mexico#79251 in 306
Idaho#83171 in 339
North Dakota#84161 in 407
Utah#87211 in 389
Wyoming#8761 in 396
Nevada———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Walter
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 20 spots since 2024 (#271 → #251)
  • 21 spots since 2020 (#272 → #251)
  • 58 spots since 2015 (#309 → #251)
  • Biggest jump: 37 spots in 2017 (#302 → #265)
  • Biggest drop: 38 spots in 1998 (#273 → #311)
Rise & fade · boys
34 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1914 at #10 (8,962 births)
  • Births halved by 1966, 52 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 10 for 1 yr
  • Top 10: 1 yr · 1914
  • Top 100: 93 yrs · run 1880–1972
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 55
  • Highest: 1 in 55 boys born in 1892 were named Walter (1.8%)
  • Latest: 1 in 1,237 boys born in 2025 (0.08%)
  • Its best rank, #10 in 1914, was only 1 in 73 (1.4%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1920s
  • 19.0% of all boys named Walter (119,809) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s18,185#13 (1888)#13
1890s19,495#12 (1897)#13
1900s19,997#12 (1900)#12
1910s89,145#10 (1914)#11
1920s119,809#13 (1920)#16
1930s80,908#19 (1930)#23
1940s83,728#25 (1940)#29
1950s72,197#40 (1950)#51
1960s45,929#70 (1960)#79
1970s25,726#89 (1970)#110
1980s17,568#137 (1980)#159
1990s12,020#191 (1990)#251
2000s8,133#308 (2000)#358
2010s10,607#265 (2017)#323
2020s7,725#251 (2025)#267

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Walter in 1946

girls
#1,318
43 births · 1 in 36,542 girls
boys
#30
8,668 births · 1 in 187 boys

Top girls' names in 1946

  1. #1Mary67,471
  2. #2Linda52,710
  3. #3Patricia46,297
  4. #4Barbara45,126
  5. #5Carol34,284
  6. #6Sandra31,692
  7. #7Nancy28,345
  8. #8Susan28,267
  9. #9Sharon27,824
  10. #10Judith22,310
  11. #1,318Walter43

Top boys' names in 1946

  1. #1James87,438
  2. #2Robert84,136
  3. #3John79,267
  4. #4William60,034
  5. #5Richard58,870
  6. #6David46,444
  7. #7Michael41,194
  8. #8Thomas38,877
  9. #9Charles38,215
  10. #10Ronald31,858
  11. #30Walter8,668
More about 1946

girls

1,571,305 girls got a published name in 1946; 1 in 36,542 of them was named Walter, which outranked 76.8% of the 5,686 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.5% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Walter
  1. #1,306Lourdes44
  2. #1,306Sharolyn44
  3. #1,306Thomasina44
  4. #1,318Walter43
  5. #1,318Angelica43
  6. #1,318Annis43
  7. #1,318Ardella43
  8. #1,337Abby42
  9. #1,337Antionette42
  10. #1,337Belle42

Tied with 18 names at #1,318; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1945
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,830Jacalyn#2,742 → #912
  2. ↑ 914Kimberly#1,621 → #707
  3. ↑ 615Suzette#1,032 → #417
  4. ↑ 538Randi#1,356 → #818
  5. ↑ 528Dayle#1,356 → #828
Fallers
  1. ↓ 335Oma#941 → #1,276
  2. ↓ 324Iola#824 → #1,148
  3. ↓ 324Artie#994 → #1,318
  4. ↓ 303Eartha#954 → #1,257
  5. ↓ 301Willia#830 → #1,131

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,624,023 boys got a published name in 1946; 1 in 187 of them was named Walter, which outranked 99.3% of the 4,018 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 34.9% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Walter
  1. #27Gerald10,033
  2. #28Steven8,878
  3. #29Wayne8,807
  4. #30Walter8,668
  5. #31Lawrence8,517
  6. #32Bruce8,459
  7. #33Harold8,373
Biggest movers since 1945
Risers
  1. ↑ 584Zachary#1,536 → #952
  2. ↑ 514Patric#1,494 → #980
  3. ↑ 385Kris#1,296 → #911
  4. ↑ 385Rich#1,296 → #911
  5. ↑ 380Furman#1,270 → #890
Fallers
  1. ↓ 469Layton#971 → #1,440
  2. ↓ 438Farris#971 → #1,409
  3. ↓ 394Delano#558 → #952
  4. ↓ 312Leopoldo#864 → #1,176
  5. ↓ 290Rosevelt#927 → #1,217

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1946 →