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
1914 · 8,962 births
Debut · boys
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#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201933peak #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 1933

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #23 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 55 boysAKMaine: #25 for boys · 54 births · 1 in 111 boysMEVermont: #45 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 176 boysVTNew Hampshire: #30 for boys · 26 births · 1 in 111 boysNHWashington: #32 for boys · 59 births · 1 in 148 boysWAIdaho: #49 for boys · 18 births · 1 in 187 boysIDMontana: #34 for boys · 26 births · 1 in 134 boysMTNorth Dakota: #38 for boys · 39 births · 1 in 145 boysNDMinnesota: #31 for boys · 127 births · 1 in 152 boysMNIllinois: #22 for boys · 412 births · 1 in 120 boysILWisconsin: #25 for boys · 173 births · 1 in 129 boysWIMichigan: #26 for boys · 259 births · 1 in 137 boysMINew York: #21 for boys · 770 births · 1 in 108 boysNYMassachusetts: #19 for boys · 297 births · 1 in 93 boysMARhode Island: #22 for boys · 53 births · 1 in 79 boysRIOregon: #31 for boys · 39 births · 1 in 131 boysORNevada: fewer than 5 boys named Walter, so not publishedNVWyoming: #35 for boys · 11 births · 1 in 135 boysWYSouth Dakota: #33 for boys · 37 births · 1 in 142 boysSDIowa: #44 for boys · 89 births · 1 in 203 boysIAIndiana: #28 for boys · 141 births · 1 in 156 boysINOhio: #24 for boys · 361 births · 1 in 119 boysOHPennsylvania: #19 for boys · 691 births · 1 in 100 boysPANew Jersey: #16 for boys · 328 births · 1 in 75 boysNJConnecticut: #17 for boys · 126 births · 1 in 75 boysCTCalifornia: #32 for boys · 221 births · 1 in 154 boysCAUtah: #81 for boys · 16 births · 1 in 288 boysUTColorado: #29 for boys · 60 births · 1 in 128 boysCONebraska: #62 for boys · 43 births · 1 in 238 boysNEMissouri: #30 for boys · 191 births · 1 in 140 boysMOKentucky: #26 for boys · 193 births · 1 in 128 boysKYWest Virginia: #33 for boys · 86 births · 1 in 185 boysWVVirginia: #13 for boys · 233 births · 1 in 92 boysVAMaryland: #23 for boys · 94 births · 1 in 117 boysMDDelaware: #16 for boys · 17 births · 1 in 82 boysDEArizona: #60 for boys · 17 births · 1 in 210 boysAZNew Mexico: #63 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 230 boysNMKansas: #37 for boys · 85 births · 1 in 156 boysKSArkansas: #29 for boys · 117 births · 1 in 148 boysARTennessee: #25 for boys · 206 births · 1 in 118 boysTNNorth Carolina: #20 for boys · 298 births · 1 in 110 boysNCSouth Carolina: #22 for boys · 166 births · 1 in 108 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #16 for boys · 43 births · 1 in 87 boysDCOklahoma: #37 for boys · 128 births · 1 in 171 boysOKLouisiana: #29 for boys · 124 births · 1 in 142 boysLAMississippi: #14 for boys · 210 births · 1 in 89 boysMSAlabama: #18 for boys · 236 births · 1 in 108 boysALGeorgia: #18 for boys · 275 births · 1 in 98 boysGAHawaii: #17 for boys · 57 births · 1 in 53 boysHITexas: #28 for boys · 348 births · 1 in 154 boysTXFlorida: #16 for boys · 116 births · 1 in 95 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Virginia#13 · 1 in 92
  2. Mississippi#14 · 1 in 89
  3. New Jersey#16 · 1 in 75
  4. Delaware#16 · 1 in 82
  5. District of Columbia#16 · 1 in 87

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Virginia#132331 in 92
Mississippi#142101 in 89
Delaware#16171 in 82
District of Columbia#16431 in 87
Florida#161161 in 95
New Jersey#163281 in 75
Connecticut#171261 in 75
Hawaii#17571 in 53
Alabama#182361 in 108
Georgia#182751 in 98
Massachusetts#192971 in 93
Pennsylvania#196911 in 100
North Carolina#202981 in 110
New York#217701 in 108
Illinois#224121 in 120
Rhode Island#22531 in 79
South Carolina#221661 in 108
Alaska#2351 in 55
Maryland#23941 in 117
Ohio#243611 in 119
Maine#25541 in 111
Tennessee#252061 in 118
Wisconsin#251731 in 129
Kentucky#261931 in 128
Michigan#262591 in 137
Indiana#281411 in 156
Texas#283481 in 154
Arkansas#291171 in 148
Colorado#29601 in 128
Louisiana#291241 in 142
Missouri#301911 in 140
New Hampshire#30261 in 111
Minnesota#311271 in 152
Oregon#31391 in 131
California#322211 in 154
Washington#32591 in 148
South Dakota#33371 in 142
West Virginia#33861 in 185
Montana#34261 in 134
Wyoming#35111 in 135
Kansas#37851 in 156
Oklahoma#371281 in 171
North Dakota#38391 in 145
Iowa#44891 in 203
Vermont#45131 in 176
Idaho#49181 in 187
Arizona#60171 in 210
Nebraska#62431 in 238
New Mexico#63201 in 230
Utah#81161 in 288
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 1933

girls
#904
56 births · 1 in 17,999 girls
boys
#21
7,756 births · 1 in 128 boys

Top girls' names in 1933

  1. #1Mary55,517
  2. #2Betty31,531
  3. #3Barbara26,949
  4. #4Dorothy22,054
  5. #5Joan19,294
  6. #6Patricia18,632
  7. #7Margaret15,241
  8. #8Helen14,644
  9. #9Shirley14,320
  10. #10Doris12,025
  11. #904Walter56

Top boys' names in 1933

  1. #1Robert54,221
  2. #2James51,112
  3. #3John46,224
  4. #4William39,049
  5. #5Richard31,331
  6. #6Charles28,991
  7. #7Donald28,450
  8. #8George18,356
  9. #9Joseph17,162
  10. #10Thomas16,508
  11. #21Walter7,756
More about 1933

girls

1,007,932 girls got a published name in 1933; 1 in 17,999 of them was named Walter, which outranked 81.4% of the 4,858 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 22.8% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Walter
  1. #895Octavia57
  2. #895Waneta57
  3. #895Zora57
  4. #904Walter56
  5. #904Berneice56
  6. #904Carma56
  7. #904Elease56
  8. #915Arletta55
  9. #915Belle55
  10. #915Dorine55

Tied with 10 names at #904; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1932
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,022Rheta#1,754 → #732
  2. ↑ 930Joellen#1,877 → #947
  3. ↑ 583Veola#1,568 → #985
  4. ↑ 483Sharlene#1,162 → #679
  5. ↑ 475Louetta#1,448 → #973
Fallers
  1. ↓ 395Golda#969 → #1,364
  2. ↓ 322Louis#940 → #1,262
  3. ↓ 298Bebe#899 → #1,197
  4. ↓ 291Clyde#998 → #1,289
  5. ↓ 291Mariam#998 → #1,289

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

boys

991,524 boys got a published name in 1933; 1 in 128 of them was named Walter, which outranked 99.5% of the 4,156 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Walter
  1. #18Harold9,543
  2. #19Raymond9,512
  3. #20Billy8,938
  4. #21Walter7,756
  5. #22Gerald7,422
  6. #23Eugene7,352
  7. #24Henry6,726
Biggest movers since 1932
Risers
  1. ↑ 553Neville#1,548 → #995
  2. ↑ 401Cordell#1,286 → #885
  3. ↑ 381Hamilton#1,286 → #905
  4. ↑ 375Delano#677 → #302
  5. ↑ 313Jan#937 → #624
Fallers
  1. ↓ 568Hoover#793 → #1,361
  2. ↓ 541Porfirio#915 → #1,456
  3. ↓ 424Rosendo#937 → #1,361
  4. ↓ 381Alfonzo#821 → #1,202
  5. ↓ 368Hillard#862 → #1,230

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

See the top 100 for 1933 →