Given name & surname
Walt
“the commander of the army”
Walt is a variant of Walter. One German interpretation is “the commander of the army.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Walt is a variant of Walter. One German interpretation is “the commander of the army.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Walt is a variant of Walter. An origin associated with Walter is Germanic.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Walt is a diminutive of Walter.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1893. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Walt through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,634
- 2,634 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1959
- 81 babies
- 2025
- 35
- #3,376 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +12%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 35 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,376 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 12.4% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 81 in 1959. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,920 as a first name in 2020; 1,183 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Walt’s family of names
In English usage, Walt is a diminutive of Walter. In German usage, Walt has a related form in Walther. Walt is a short form of Walter.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Walt has relatives in 4 languages.
6 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Walt
- Walt RostowAmerican economist, political theorist and government official (1916–2003)
- Walt FrazierAmerican basketball player (born 1945)
- Walt DohrnAmerican animatorborn 1970
- Walt BellamyAmerican basketball player (1939-2013)
- Walt KellyAmerican cartoonist (1913-1973)
- Walt DavisAmerican basketball player (1931–2020)
- Walt Hansgenracecar driver (1919–1966)
- Walt Faulknerracecar driver1918–1956
- Walt HazzardAmerican basketball player (1942-2011)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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