2000
#651
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,615
First available Census row
Per 100,000 17.65
Uncommon Last name
Walter
An occupational surname for a ruler or commanding officer, derived from German "walter" meaning "ruler" or "commander."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 52,510 Americans carry the last name Walter. That puts it at #739 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,527 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Walter surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Walter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
53K
1 in 6,527
Census rank
#739
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
46K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 45,791 bearers of the surname Walter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 739th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Walter, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Walter
Among Census respondents with the surname Walter, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Walter bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Walter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.9% · 39,357
- Black or African American5.6% · 2,558
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 1,551
- Two or more races3.2% · 1,465
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 619
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 241
Timeline
Historical Census data for Walter
Walter appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#727
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 48,024
+409 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 16.28
Rank movement Down 76 places
2020
#739
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 45,791
-2,233 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 15.32
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #651 | 47,615 | 17.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #727 | 48,024 | 16.28 | +409 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 76 places |
| 2020 | #739 | 45,791 | 15.32 | -2,233 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 12 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Walter surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #727 | #739 | -1.7% |
| Count | 48,024 | 45,791 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 16.28 | 15.32 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Walter bearers went from 48,024 to 45,791 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #727 to #739.
FAQ
Walter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Walter?
Name Census estimates that about 52,510 living Americans carry the surname Walter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,527 residents.
How common is Walter?
Walter ranks #739 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 15 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 45,791 people with the surname Walter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (52,510), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 15 of them to have the surname Walter.
Has Walter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Walter went from 48,024 recorded bearers to 45,791. That is a decrease of 2,233 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #727 to #739.
What does the Census say about the background of Walter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Walter, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Hispanic (3.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Walter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (39,357 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Walter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.9%), Black (5.6%), Hispanic (3.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Walter (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Walter mean?
An occupational surname for a ruler or commanding officer, derived from German "walter" meaning "ruler" or "commander." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Walter (15.32 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Walter?
Find out how many people are called Walter on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.