Boys' name · peaked in 1892
Walter name popularity since 1925
422,727 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Walter (0.6% girls, 99.4% boys). Half of them were born in 1948 or earlier, so the typical Walter is about 78 years old in 2026. Walter peaked in 1892 as the #13 name for boys, and it ranked #252 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 422,727
- Named Walter, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1892
- #13 for boys that year
- In 2025
- #252
- for boys in 2025 (1,381 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.4% boys
- 2,435 girls · 420,292 boys
- Most popular in
- Mississippi
- 2.23× its national share
Peak year is the year Walter made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Walter births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 1925. Measured as a share of all babies, Walter peaked earlier, in 1892.
- Fastest rise: Between 2012 and 2017, Walter became 1.7× more common, from 1 in 2,360 baby boys to 1 in 1,360.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Walter's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Walter.
Decade by decade
Babies named Walter in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 474 | 55,751 | – |
| 1930s | 581 | 80,908 | #23 |
| 1940s | 378 | 83,728 | #27 |
| 1950s | 332 | 72,197 | #51 |
| 1960s | 266 | 45,929 | #82 |
| 1970s | 216 | 25,726 | #112 |
| 1980s | 150 | 17,568 | #163 |
| 1990s | 38 | 12,020 | #265 |
| 2000s | 0 | 8,133 | #375 |
| 2010s | 0 | 10,607 | #309 |
| 2020–25 | 0 | 7,725 | #252 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
35.8% of babies named Walter from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Silent Generation years (1928–1945). The full split by generation:
Where Walter is most popular
The index compares Walter's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Walter.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | 2.23× | 11,452 |
| Alabama | 1.69× | 12,716 |
| District of Columbia | 1.58× | 3,088 |
| South Carolina | 1.53× | 9,074 |
| Hawaii | 1.52× | 2,022 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Walter's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Walter.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Walter (1892).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data