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Walter (name)

Walter is a German masculine given name of Germanic origin, composed of the elements walt- (Proto-Germanic *wald-) "power", "ruler", and hari (Proto-Germanic *χarja) "army".

The name was first popularized by the famous epic German hero Walther von Aquitaine and later with the writer Walther von der Vogelweide.

The name is first recorded in the 6th century, with Walthari son of Wacho, who was king of the Lombards during 539–546. Old Germanic forms are recorded as Walthari, Waltari, Walthar, Waltar, Waltere, Waldheri, Waldhere, Waltheri, Walthere, Walther, Walter, Waldher, and Valter. The Old English equivalent is Wealdhere, Old Norse has Valðar and Valdarr.

The name entered the French language as Gauthier, Spanish as Gutierre, Portuguese as Gualter and Italian as Gualtiero. The modern Dutch form of the name is Wouter. The German name has also been adopted in a number of languages in the spelling Valter.

The Latinized form is Waltharius, the title of a poem of the late 9th or early 10th century on the legendary Gothic king Walter of Aquitaine. A fragmentary Old English poem on the same character is known as Waldere. Jacob Grimm in Teutonic Mythology speculates that Walthari, literally "wielder of hosts", may have been an epithet of the god of war, Ziu or Eor, and that the circumstance that the hero of the Waltharius poems loses his right hand in battle may be significant, linking him to the Norse tradition of Tyr.

Geographical distribution

As of 2014, 43.5% of all known bearers of the surname Walter were residents of Germany (frequency 1:643), 23.4% of the United States (1:5,374), 5.0% of Nigeria (1:12,307), 4.0% of France (1:5,814), 2.0% of Austria (1:1,467), 1.9% of England (1:10,157), 1.8% of Brazil (1:38,529), 1.6% of Australia (1:5,113), 1.4% of Angola (1:6,511), 1.3% of Canada (1:9,641), 1.3% of Switzerland (1:2,176), 1.2% of Ghana (1:7,682), 1.1% of Argentina (1:13,353), 1.0% of Poland (1:12,776) and 1.0% of South Africa (1:19,181).

In Germany, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:643) in the following states:

Baden-Württemberg (1:386)
Bremen (1:422)
Brandenburg (1:450)
Hesse (1:526)
Saxony-Anhalt (1:539)
Rhineland-Palatinate (1:599)
Thuringia (1:603)
Bavaria (1:606)
Saxony (1:621)
Saarland (1:627)

Given name

Middle ages

Walter the Englishman or Gualterus Anglicus (fl. c. 1175), Anglo-Norman poet and scribe
Walter, Count of Rethel (died 1262), French nobleman
Walter (abbot of Evesham) or Walter de Cerisy (died 1104), English church leader
Walter (archbishop of Sens) (fl. 887–923), French church leader
Walter, Bishop of Transylvania (fl. 1156–1157), Hungarian church leader
Walter (bishop of Rochester) (died 1182), English church leader
Walter (bishop of Wrocław) (fl. 1149–1169), Episcopal Walloon
Walter Bentley (died 1359), English knight who fought in the Hundred Years War
Walter de Coutances (died 1207), Archbishop of Rouen and Chief Justiciar of England
Walter von Cronberg (1477 or 1479–1543), 38th Grand Master of the Teutonic Order
Walter fitz Alan, twelfth-century Scottish magnate and Steward of Scotland
Walter fitz Gilbert of Cadzow, medieval Scottish nobleman
Walter Tailboys (1350–1417), English landowner and politician

Modern era

M. Walter F. Abeykoon (born 1903; died unknown), Inspector General of the Sri Lanka Police (1959–1963)
Walter W. Arndt (1916–2011), German-American translator
Walter Lewis Baily Jr. (1930–2013), American mathematician
Wally Bayola (Walter James Bayola, born 1973), Filipino comedian and television personality
Walter Bender (born 1956), president of One Laptop Per Child Software and Content
Walter Bender (Canadian football) (born 1961), American football player
W. O. Bentley (Walter Owen Bentley, 1889–1971), founder of Bentley Motors
Walter Bentley (1849–1927), Scottish-Australian Shakespearean actor
Walter Blackman (born c. 1965/1966), American politician
Walter Braithwaite (1865–1945), British army general
Walter Brennan (1894–1974), American actor
Walter von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt (1887–1943), German general during World War II
Walter Chrysler (1875-1940) American industrialist
Walter P. Chrysler Jr. (1909-1988) American art collector and museum benefactor
Walter Cronkite (1916–2009), American journalist
Walter Crucce (born 1974), Argentine boxer
Walter Devaram (born 1939), Indian former Director General of Police of Tamil Nadu
Walter Day (born 1949), American businessman, musician, and retired video game referee
Walter Percy Day (1878–1965), English matte artist and special effects technician
Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex (1541–1576), English nobleman and general
Walt Disney (Walter Elias Disney, 1901–1966), American film producer, animator and entrepreneur
Walter Dorsey (1771–1823), justice of the Maryland Court of Appeals
Walter Duranty (1884–1957), Anglo-American journalist
Walter von Eberhardt (1862–1944), German military commander during World War I and Latvian War of Independence
Walter Eisfeld (1905–1940), German Nazi SS commandant of Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Walter Feit (1930–2004), American mathematician
Walter Fernando, Sri Lankan Sinhala air chief marshal, Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force from 1986 to 1991
Walter Forster, several people of the same name
Walter Flanagan, host of the Tell 'Em Steve-Dave! podcast and star of AMC's Comic Book Men
Walter Gericke (1907–1991), German Luftwaffe officer during World War II and a general in the Bundeswehr of West Germany
Walter Giardino (born 1960), Argentinian heavy metal guitarist
Walter Godefroot (born 1943), Belgian road bicycle racer and cycling team manager
Walter E. Gregory (1857-1918), American physician
Walter Gretzky (1938–2021), Canadian cable repairman and father of Wayne Gretzky
Steve Conway (born Walter James Groom, 1920–1952), British singer
Walter Gropius (1883–1969), German architect
Gunther (Walter Hahn, born 1987), Austrian professional wrestler
Walter Hagen (1892–1969), American golfer
Walter Hagen (aviator) (1897–1963), German general, aviator and Luftwaffe pilot during World War II
Walter Hallstein (1901-1982), German diplomat and statesman
Walter Heck, German graphic designer
Walter Heitz (1878–1944), German general during World War II
C. Walter Hodges (1909–2004), English artist and writer best known for illustrating children's books and for helping to recreate Elizabethan theatre
Walter Jayawardena (born 1910; died unknown), Solicitor General of Sri Lanka (1967–1968)
Walter Johnson (1887–1946), American baseball player
Walter von Keudell (1884–1973), German forest expert and politician
Walter Keane (1915–2000), American plagiarist, known for claiming MDH Keane's big-eyed waif paintings as his own
Walter Kirn (born 1962), American author
Walter Knott (1889-1981), American farmer
Walter Koenig (born 1936), American actor
Walter R. Kramer (1914–1995), US badminton champion
Walter Kreye (born 1942), German actor
Walter Davis Lambert (1879–1968), American geodesist
Walter Lantz (1899–1994), American animator, cartoonist and film producer
Walter L. Lovelace (1831–1866), Missouri lawyer and politician
Walter Luchetti (born 1937), Italian politician
Walter Lübcke (1953–2019), German politician
Walter Martos (born 1957), Peruvian retired military general and current prime minister of Peru
Walter Matthau (1920–2000), American actor
Walter Mazzarri (born 1961), Italian football manager
Walter T. McCarthy (1898-1985), American lawyer and judge
Walter R. McComas (1879–1922), American politician and lawyer
Walter Mercado (1932–2019), Puerto Rican astrologer also known as Shanti Ananda
Walter Miller (1890–1959), American Hall of Fame jockey
Walter Mirisch (1921-2023), American film producer
Walter Mondale (1928–2021), American politician, Vice President of the United States (1977–1981) and 1984 Democratic Party presidential candidate
Walter "Junie" Morrison (1954–2017), American funk musician, member of the Ohio Players
Walter Andreas Müller (born 1945), Swiss actor and comedian
Walter Murch (born 1943), American film editor and sound designer
Walter Dean Myers (born Walter Milton Myers, 1937–2014), American author
Walter Niephaus (1923–1992), German chess master
Walter O'Brien (born 1975), Irish businessman
Walter D. O'Hearn (1910–1969), Canadian journalist
Walter Olkewicz (1948–2021), American actor
Walter Ophey (1882–1930), German painter
Walter Packer (born 1955), American football player
Walter Palmore (born 1996), American football player
Walter Payton (1953–1999), American football player
Walter Pedraza (born 1981), Colombian road-cyclist
Walter Pidgeon (1897–1984), Canadian actor
Walter Piston (1894–1976), American composer
Walter Poddubny (1960–2009), Canadian hockey player
Walter Raleigh (c. 1552/1554–1618), English explorer
Walter Rauff (1906–1984), German Nazi SS colonel accused of directing the killing of hundreds of thousands of Jews in mobile gassing vans
Walter Reed (1851–1902) US Army physician and medical researcher
Walther Ritz (1878–1909), Swiss theoretical physicist
Walter Rodney (1942-1980), Guyanese historian and political activist
Walter Röhrl (born 1947), German rally world champion
Walter Romberg (1928–2014), German politician
Walter Rouse, American football player
Walter Runte (Fl. 2022), American politician
Walter Samuel (born 1978), Argentine footballer
Walter B. Sands (1870–1938), chief justice of the Montana Supreme Court
Walter Schellenberg (1910–1952), German SS functionary during the Nazi era
Walter Schreifels (born 1969), American musician
Wally Schirra (1923–2007), American astronaut
Walter Scott, several people of the same name
- Walter Scott (1771–1832), Scottish novelist and poet
Walter Short (1880–1949), American lieutenant general responsible for US military installations in Hawaii at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
Walter Sillers (1852–1931), American lawyer and planter
Walter Sillers Jr. (1888–1966), American politician and white supremacist
Walter Sisulu (1912–2003), South African politician
Walter Smith (1948–2021), Scottish football player and manager
Walter Bedell Smith (1895–1961), senior officer of the United States Army who served as chief of staff at Allied Forces Headquarters (AFHQ) during the Tunisia Campaign and the Allied invasion of Italy in 1943, during World War II
Walter Shaw Sparrow (1862–1940), British writer on art and architecture
Walter Stewart, several people of the same name
Walter Tetley (1915–1975), American child actor
Walter Tewksbury (1876–1968), American athlete
Walter Thurnherr (born 1963), Swiss government official, Chancellor of Switzerland
Walter Ulbricht (1893–1973), German politician, leader of East Germany, 1950–71
Walter Veltroni (born 1955), Italian writer, journalist and politician
Walter Waalderbos (born 1951), Dutch footballer
Walter Whitman (1819–1892), American poet, journalist, essayist and humanist
Bruce Willis (Walter Bruce Willis, born 1955), American actor
Walter Willison (born 1947), American actor, singer, writer, director and producer
Walter Winchell (1897-1972), American columnist and radio news commentator
Walter Zapp (1905–2003), Baltic German inventor
Walter Zenga (born 1960), Italian football manager and former player
Walter E. Zink, US Army major general

Fictional and legendary characters

Walter of Aquitaine, a Visigoth king in Germanic heroic legend
Walter, in the 2005 American science fiction adventure Zathura: A Space Adventure
Walter, an android in the 2017 Ridley Scott film Alien: Covenant
Walter (Muppet), a Muppet character introduced in the 2011 film The Muppets
Walter, a title character of Walter and Tandoori, a children's television series
Walter, a puppet of ventriloquist Jeff Dunham (born 1962)
Walter the Softy (real name Walter Brown), arch-enemy of Dennis the Menace from The Beano comic since 1953
Dr. Walter Bishop (Fringe), a scientist on the 2008–2013 TV series Fringe
Walter Blythe, in the Anne of Green Gables novels Anne of Ingleside, Rainbow Valley, and Rilla of Ingleside
Walter Donovan, the main antagonist of the 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Walter C. Dornez, from the anime/manga series Hellsing
Walter E. Kurtz, the main antagonist of the 1979 film Apocalypse Now
Dr. Walter Jenning, in the 1986 American science fiction movie Howard the Duck
Walter Joseph Kovacs, the secret identity of the vigilante Rorschach in Watchmen since 1968
Walter Longmire, the title character in Craig Johnson's A Longmire Mystery Series and main protagonist of A&E and Netflix's LONGMIRE television series
Walter Mitty, the title character in James Thurber's 1939 short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Walter Newell, secret identity of Stingray (comics), a Marvel Comics character since 1967
Walter Nichols, in the Nickelodeon sitcom Drake & Josh
Corporal Walter "Radar" O’Reilly, from the 1968–1986 M*A*S*H franchise
Walter Peck, in the 1984 American supernatural comedy movie Ghostbusters
Walter Powell, in the American sitcom television series Charles in Charge
Walter Raccoon, the father of Pinch and Scootch Raccoon and the husband of Wanda Raccoon in "PB&J Otter"
Walter Smith, in the Nintendo video game Ninja Gaiden
Walter Sobchak, in the 1998 film The Big Lebowski
Walter Vetrivel, the title character of the 1993 Indian film Walter Vetrivel
Walter White (Breaking Bad), the protagonist of the 2008–2013 TV series Breaking Bad
Walter, Character in Vencer la culpa

Surname

Medieval

Walter, or FitzWalter, an armigerous family in Norman England
- Theobald Walter, 1st Chief Butler of Ireland
- Hubert Walter (c. 1160 – 13 July 1205), English archbishop and justiciar

Early modern

Johann Walter (1496–1570), German composer and poet
Thomas Walter (botanist) (1740–1789), British-born American botanist
Anton Walter (1752–1826), German piano maker
Ignaz Walter (1755–1822), Austrian opera singer and composer

Modern

Andrew Walter (born 1982), American football quarterback
Ben Walter (born 1984), Canadian ice hockey player
Bianca Walter (born 1990), German short track speed skater
Bruno Walter (1876–1962), German-American conductor and composer
Carl Walter (c. 1831–1907), German-Australian botanist and photographer
David Walter (disambiguation), several people
Eleanor Walter (1910–1997), American painter
Emma Walter (1833/34–1893), British artist
Eugene Walter (1921–1998), American writer and actor
Francis E. Walter (1894–1963), American politician
Fritz Walter (football executive) (1900–1981), German football executive
Fritz Walter (footballer born 1960), German footballer
Fritz Walter (politician) (1896–1977), German politician
Fritz Walter (1920–2002), German footballer
Harriet Walter (born 1950), British actress
Harvey Washington Walter (1819-1878), American lawyer and railroad business executive
Hellmuth Walter (1900–1980), German engineer
Howard Arnold Walter (1883–1918), American Congregationalist minister, author, and hymn writer
Hubert Walter (1930 — 2008), German anthropologist
Ja'Kobe Walter (born 2004), American basketball player
Jamie Campbell-Walter (born 1972), British professional racing driver
Jean Walter (1883–1957), French architect
Jess Walter (1965), American novelist
Jessica Walter (1941–2021), American actress
Joachim Walter (1940–2021), East German football player
Joe Walter (American football) (born 1963), American football tackle
Joe Walter (footballer) (1895–1995), British football player
Joe Walter (Ohio politician) (born 1947), former member of the Ohio House of Representatives
Joseph Walter (1783–1856), British marine artist
Kevin Walter (born 1981), American football wide receiver
Leonie Maria Walter (born 2004), German biathlete
Ottmar Walter (1924–2013), German footballer
Otto F. Walter (1928–1994) Swiss journalist, author and publisher
Owen Walter (born 1979), Canadian ice hockey defenceman
Raymond Walter (born 1972), American politician, New York State Assemblyman
Rita Walter (1931-2020), American actress
Ruedi Walter, (1916–1990) Swiss comedian and actor
Ryan Walter (born 1958), Canadian hockey player
Silja Walter (1919–2011) Swiss author and Benedictine nun
Thomas U. Walter (1804–1887), American architect
Tracey Walter (born 1947), American character actor
Ulrich Walter (born 1954), German astronaut
Young Singleton Walter (1811-1883), American politician