Total births
631,172
Boys' name · since 1880
Walter
631,172 babies named Walter in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1918. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #271
- among boys today
- 631,172
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other boys
Walter currently ranks #271 among boys' names in America, with 631,172 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Walter has been recorded 631,172 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #271 nationally and more common than 98% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #271 among boys today
- 631,172 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 98% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Walter is currently the #271 boys' name in America, more common than 98% of boys - 631,172 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #271
- among boys today
- 631,172
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other boys
Walter vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#271
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 98% of names given to boys today.
1920s
Peak decade
19% of everyone ever named Walter was born in this single decade.
1918
Single peak year
13,338 babies were named Walter in 1918 - its busiest year on record.
How Walter compares
631,172 Top 0% higher than 100% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Walter's all-time total is 1,720x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Walter | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 631,172 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 13,338 | 23 | 22,252 |
Walter's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Walter's full recorded timeline at 1953, 28% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 72% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2008, with just 764 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1918 peak of 13,338 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Walter at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1918
Current rank
#271
Active since
1880
Walter popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 13,338
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Walter popularity over time - girls
3,632 total births recorded since 1880 (Walter as girls' name)
Walter by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Walter's strongest decade.
119,809 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.
Walter births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 18,185
1880s
18,185 births
- 1890s 19,495
1890s
19,495 births
- 1900s 19,997
1900s
19,997 births
- 1910s
1910s
89,145 births
- 1920s
1920s
119,809 births
- 1930s
1930s
80,908 births
- 1940s
1940s
83,728 births
- 1950s
1950s
72,197 births
- 1960s 45,929
1960s
45,929 births
- 1970s 25,726
1970s
25,726 births
- 1980s 17,568
1980s
17,568 births
- 1990s 12,020
1990s
12,020 births
- 2000s 8,133
2000s
8,133 births
- 2010s 10,607
2010s
10,607 births
- 2020s 7,725
2020s
7,725 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 119,809 births (19% of all-time use).
How Walter compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Walter's total volume
Walter vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Walter by state
Where Walter concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 51,531 | 8.2% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 47,499 | 7.5% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 32,303 | 5.1% |
| #4 | California | | 25,984 | 4.1% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 25,735 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Texas | | 25,628 | 4.1% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 24,101 | 3.8% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 21,848 | 3.5% |
New York share of Walter's total US births 8.2%
Even split
51,531 of 631,172 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Walter appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Walter? ▼
631,172 babies have been named Walter since 1880. It currently ranks #271 among boys. The peak year was 1918 with 13,338 births.
When was Walter most popular? ▼
Walter was most popular in the 1920s decade with 119,809 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Walter most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Walter are New York (51,531 births), Pennsylvania (47,499 births), Illinois (32,303 births).
How long has the name Walter been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Walter since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Walter? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Wallace, Walker, Walton, Waldo, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Walter's data
- Walter's decade-level peak was the 1920s (119,809 total births); usage has since declined to 7,725 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Walters (51,531 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Walter
Nearby Names Like Walter
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Walter
Wallace Boy
#983 83,263 births
Walker Boy
#82 47,914 births
Walton Boy
#3275 5,889 births
Waldo Boy
5,716 births
Wally Boy
#6219 4,954 births
Compare Walter side by side: Walter vs Wallace Walter vs Walker Walter vs Walton
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Walter
Emerson #270
33,521 births · Peak 2025
Cade #272
34,772 births · Peak 2001
Lukas #269
44,053 births · Peak 2019
Ellis #273
50,403 births · Peak 2025
Steven #268
1,293,124 births · Peak 1956
Otto #274
39,915 births · Peak 2024
Tristan #267
124,243 births · Peak 2008
Phoenix #275
24,571 births · Peak 2020
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Walter: #271 Boys' Name - 631,172 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/walter. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Walter draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.