Name of the Week

A staple of British nomenclature for milennia
that swings between comfy grandad-chic
to swashbuckling pirate. 

 

Origin:

Walter is the modern English form of both the Old English Wealdhere and its Germanic cognate Waldhar which was brought over by the Normans, reinforcing the former. The first element, weald in Old English or wald in Old High German, translates as "might, power, control" and is related closely to wealdan (waldan) "to rule, command, govern" and wealdend "leader, ruler, commander". It is from this route that we get the modern word 'wield'. The second element, here in Old English and har in Old High German, means "troop, army, host." The same two elements make up the name Harold, but in the reverse order. Essentially, both names mean "army commander."

Usage:

Though not prolific, there is evidence of the Anglo-Saxon Wealdhere in good use pre-Conquest. PASE lists seven men of the name between the 7th and 9th century: three priests, two ministers, a praefectus and a Bishop of London (fl. 695). There are also existing fragments of an Old English poem, Waldhere, detailing the life of the legendary Visigoth king Walter of Aquitaine in an epic chivalric romance.  The Germanic cognate Waldhar was also in long use on the Continent. Waltari son of Wacho was a king of the Lombards from 539 to 546 and Saint Walter (Gautier) (c.1030—c.1099) was an abbott of Pontoise.  The Old French form of Waldhar was Gautier; the Norman was Waltier. When the Normans invaded, they brought Waltier with them. This reinforced the use of Wealdhere and the two merged, both becoming Latinised as Walterus. Though almost certainly mythic, the exploits of Walter of Aquitaine can be found in folklore across the continent. As with other names of legendary figures (see Arthur), Walter's legend may have contributed to the wider use of the name in the Middle Ages.  Approximately 28 Walters are listed in the Domesday Book of 1086, attesting to its popularity. One of the most prominent was Walter Giffard of Longueville, a Norman knight who fought alongside William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings and was granted vast estates in Buckinghamshire and Norfolk. His son, also Walter, was the 1st Earl of Buckingham. Another was Norman knight Walter of Douai who had extensive land in Somerset and Devon. From the 11th to 14th century, Walter was among the Top 10 most popular masculine names in England. It was also not uncommon in Scotland during this period.** The standard diminutive for Walter in the Middle Ages was Wat — giving rise to the surnames Watson, Watkins, Watkinson, Watts and Watten.  Walter, Walters and Waters are also common surnames thanks to the given name's wide use. There are five saints named Walter, all venerated between the 11th and 13th century, which would have given a further boost to the name.  Smith-Bannister's frequency tables from 1538 to 1700* show Walter as ranking #12 1538-49, #15 1550-9, #19 1560-9, #16 1570-9, #30 1580-9, #19 1590-9, #22 1600-9, #28 1610-9, #27 1620-9, #30 1630-9, #36 1640-9, #35 1650-9, #48 1670-9, #44 1680-9, #34 1690-1700. Given that the name was such a stalwart favourite in Britain since the Anglo-Saxons, it is in some ways surprising that it has never been used by royalty in this country; though, frankly, there are more aristocrats throughtout history bearing the name than you could ever wish to count. The name flourished yet again in the 19th century. The 1841 census lists 27,858 males names Walter (68% in England, 28% in Scotland, 4% in Wales). By 1861 the figure had almost tripled to 72,642 (86% England, 11% Scotland, 3% Wales) and again to 191,544 in 1881 and 294,021 in 1901. In England and Wales, Walter ranked #15 in 1880, #16 in 1890, #18 in 1900, #19 in 1904, #23 in 1914, #34 in 1924, #54 in 1934 and #86 in 1944, after which it fell out of the Top 100. In Scotland Walter ranked #22 in 1900, #51 in 1950 but was out of the Top 100 by 1975.  Having slipped below the Top 1000 by the 1990s, the name is gradually rising again. In 1996, Walter ranked #1337 (9 births) in England and Wales. It rose to #1199 (11 births) in 1999, #1519 (9 births) in 2002, #1299 (15 births) in 2005, #836 (33 births) in 2008 and #718 (44 births) in 2011 — its highest count in twenty years.  In Scotland Walter recieved a birth count of 0 in 2005, 2 in 2006, 3 in 2007, 4 in 2008, 3 in 2009, 0 in 2010, 3 in 2011 and 6 in 2012.

Famous Bearers:

History:  * Saint Walter (c.1030–c.1099), abbott of Pontoise.  * Saint Walter (d. 1070), Augustinian abbot of L'Esterp, famed as a confessor. * Saint Walter (d.1150), English Benedictine abbot of Fontenelle. * Saint Walter (d. 1250), founder and first abbot of the monastery of Serviliano. * Walter FitzAllan (1106–1177), the 1st Hereditary High Steward of Scotland. * Sir Walter Raleigh (c.1554–1618), famous English explorer. * Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832), Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet. * Walter "Walt" Whitman (1819–1892), American poet, essayist and humanist. * Walter Huston (1883–1950), Oscar winning Canadian actor. * Walter Brennan (1894–1974), Oscar winning American actor. * Walter "Walt" Disney (1901–1966), American film director, animator and producer.  Contemporary: * Seven Noble Prize winners have borne the name Walter: Walter Norman Haworth, 1937; Sir Howard Walter Florey, 1945; Walter Rudolf Hess, 1949; Walter H. Brattain, 1956; Walter Gilbert, 1980; Walter Kohn, 1998. * (Walter) Bruce Willis (b. 1955), American actor. Literature and Other Media: * Walter of Aquitaine, legendary hero of medieval epics. * Walter Mitty, the title character in James Thurber's short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"

Variants:

Valter (Danish, Swedish, Norwegian), Gautier (French), Bhaltair (Scottish), Gwallter (Welsh), Gualterio (Spanish, Portuguese), Gualtiero (Italian), Valtteri (Finnish)

Pronunciation:

WAL-tə [key]

Possible diminutives:

Toll, Wat, Walt, Wally  (Scott or Raleigh could also be fitting nicknames after the two famous Walters)

Sibling Names:

Matilda     Elsa     Iris     Louisa     Caroline     Georgina  Linus     Albert     Leonard     Gilbert     Sidney     Ralph

Name Lists:

Funky-Clunky    Resurrected Retro    Medieval Favourites    Terrifically Tudor    Gorgeously Georgian    Victorian Darlings    Dickensian Names    Names from Austen   Names from the Brontes   Names from Tennyson

 

If you like Walter you may also like:   Wallace, Calvin, Wilfred, Stanley, Magnus, Clifford, Winston, Hamish, Digby, Edmund

 

Thanks to Nicki for requesting Walter.