Walter is a distinctive choice, ranked #334 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Walter in their class.
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UK Rank 2025
#334
US Rank #252
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About the Name Walter
Walter is gradually declining in popularity, having dropped 52 places over five years. Its high point was #271 in 2019, and it now sits at #344. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Walter is fairly common in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Walter in their class.
In the US it ranks even higher at #271, where it enjoys a particularly strong following.
⭐ Famous People Named Walter
Walter Ostanek — Ladislav John "Walter" Ostanek, CM is a Canadian musician.
Harriet Walter — Dame Harriet Mary Walter is an English actress.
Walter Isaacson — Walter Seff Isaacson is an American journalist who has written biographies of Henry Kissinger, Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, Jennifer Doudna, and Elon Musk.
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Walter
Unlikely. With around 127 UK babies named Walter per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Walter in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Walter has been fairly steady, ranked #334 in 2025 against #292 in 2020. Its best recorded position was #271 in 2019.
Walter is more popular in the US (#271) than in the UK (#344). Names with strong rankings in both countries tend to have broad cross-cultural appeal, working well for international families or those with ties to both nations.
Notable people named Walter include: Walter Ostanek, Harriet Walter and Walter Isaacson. Short summaries for each appear below.
Walter appears in the US top 500 at #271 in 2024 — moderately popular in America, though less so than in the UK.
127
UK babies named Walter (2025)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.1
In a school of 600
↓ 42 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Walter
Almost certainly the only Walter in the class
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UK Popularity (1996–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2025)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Walter
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Walter Seff Isaacson is an American journalist who has written biographies of Henry Kissinger, Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, Jennifer Doudna, and Elon Musk.
Mark Richard Walter is an American businessman, philanthropist, and the chief executive officer of Guggenheim Partners, a privately held global financial services firm with more than $345 billion in assets under management.
Walter Stanley Keane was an American plagiarist who became famous in the 1960s as the claimed painter of a series of widely reproduced paintings depicting vulnerable subjects with enormous eyes.