Find out how popular the last name Walter is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Walter.

Walter, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Walter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Walter in America

Walter is the 727th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Walter surname appeared 48,024 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 16 people would have the surname Walter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Walter to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Walter

The surname Walter originated in Germany, emerging in the 8th century AD during the Carolingian dynasty. It is derived from the Old German words "waltan," meaning to rule or govern, and "heri," meaning army. The name was likely initially used as a descriptive byname for someone in a position of authority or a military leader.

In its earliest form, the name was spelled "Walther" or "Waltheri." One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Fulda Monastery records from the 9th century, which mention a monk named "Waltheri." The name also appears in the Codex Traditionum of the Benedictine abbey of Reichenau in the 10th century.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Walter was particularly prevalent in the regions of modern-day Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. It was often associated with nobility and landowners, as evidenced by its appearance in various charters and records of the time.

One notable historical figure bearing the name Walter was Walter of Châtillon (c. 1135 – c. 1201), a medieval French theologian, philosopher, and poet. Another was Walter von der Vogelweide (c. 1170 – c. 1230), a celebrated German lyric poet of the Middle High German period.

In England, the name Walter was introduced following the Norman Conquest in 1066. It was initially spelled "Walteri" or "Walterus." One of the earliest recorded examples is Walter Giffard, a Norman lord who was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as holding lands in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.

Throughout the centuries, the surname Walter has been associated with various notable individuals, including Sir Walter Raleigh (c. 1554 – 1618), an English writer, poet, and explorer; Walter Scott (1771 – 1832), a Scottish novelist and playwright; and Walter Cronkite (1916 – 2009), an American broadcast journalist known as "the most trusted man in America."

The surname Walter has also been linked to several place names, such as Walter's Ash in Buckinghamshire, England, and Waltersville, Ohio, in the United States, both named after individuals bearing the surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Walter

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Walter.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Walter was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Walter has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Walter was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Walter, please contact us.

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