Walt

Where Walt comes from

Clipping of Walter. The derogatory British sense is a reference to the fictional character Walter Mitty from The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, a mild-mannered pushover who has wild fantasies about his life in various daring roles.
— Wiktionary's entry for Walt
  • 1 syllable
Along the way
  1. 1893
    First appearance
    #1,035 among boys, 5 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  2. 1916
    Walt Whitman Rostow born
    American economist, political theorist and government official
  3. 1945
    Walt Frazier born
    American basketball player
  4. 1959
    Peak, #838
    81 babies named Walt — more than any year before or since.
  5. 1965
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #1,456.
In the dictionary
  • A diminutive of the male given name Walter.
Namesakes
  • Walt Whitman Rostow · American economist, political theorist and government official, 1916–2003
  • Walt Frazier · American basketball player, born 1945
  • Walt Dohrn · American animator, born 1970
  • Walt Bellamy · American basketball player, 1939–2013
  • Walt Kelly · American cartoonist, 1913–1973

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.