Walter (name)

Walter or Walther is a German masculine given name derived from Old High German Walthari, composed of the elements walt- (Proto-Germanic *wald-) "rule" and hari (Proto-Germanic *χarja) "army".^[1]

The name is recorded for the 6th century, with Walthari son of Wacho, who was king of the Lombards during 539–546. Old High German forms are recorded as Walthari, Waltari, Walthar, Waltar, Waltere, Waldheri, Waldhere, Waltheri, Walthere, Walther, Walter, Waldher, Valter. The Old English equivalent is Wealdhere, Old Norse has Valðar, Valdarr.^[2]

The name entered the French language as Gauthier, Spanish as Gutierre and Italian as Gualtiero. The modern Dutch form of the name is Wouter. The German name has also been adopted in a number of languages in the spelling Valter.

The Latinized form is Waltharius, the title of a poem of the late 9th or early 10th century on the legendary Gothic king Walter of Aquitaine. A fragmentary Old English poem on the same character is known as Waldere. Walter of Aquitaine is not a historical king; Jacob Grimm in Teutonic Mythology speculates that Walthari, literally "wielder of hosts", may have been an epithet of the god of war, Ziu or Eor, and that the circumstance that the hero of the Waltharius poems loses his right hand in battle may be significant, linking him to the Norse tradition of Tyr.

List of people called Walter

Given name

• Walter Baxter (1915–1994), an English novelist
• Walter Bender (born 1956), president of One Laptop Per Child Software and Content
• Walter Bender (Canadian football) (born 1961), American player of gridiron football
• Walter de Coutances (died 1207), Archbishop of Rouen and Chief Justiciar of England
• Walter Cronkite (1916–2009), an American journalist
• Walter Crucce, an Argentine boxer
• Walter Disney, an American film producer
• Walter fitz Gilbert of Cadzow, a medieval Scottish nobleman
• Walter Forster (disambiguation)
• Walter Gropius, (1883-1969), a German architect
• Walter Johnson, an American baseball pitcher, Hall of Fame member
• Walter von Keudell (1884–1973), a German forest expert and politician
• Walter Kirn, an American author
• Walter Koenig (born 1936), an American actor
• Walter R. Kramer (1914–1995) U.S. badminton champion
• Walter Lantz, an American animator, cartoonist, and film producer
• Walter Maslow (born 1926), American former actor
• Walter Matthau (1920–2000), American actor
• Walter Mazzarri, Italian football manager
• Walter Mercado, a Puerto Rican astrologer
• Walter Mondale, a Vice President of the United States
• Walter Andreas Müller (born 1945), Swiss actor and comedian
• Walter Murch, an American film editor and sound designer
• Walter Dean Myers, an author
• Walter Niephaus, a German chess master
• Walter Packer, American football player
• Walter Payton, an American football player
• Walter Pedraza, a Colombian road cyclist
• Walter Pidgeon, a Canadian actor
• Walter Poddubny, a Canadian hockey player
• Walter Raleigh, an English explorer
• Walter Romberg, (1928-2014), a German politician
• Walter Samuel (born 1978), Argentine footballer
• Walter Schreifels, an American musician
• Walter Schirra (1923–2007), Mercury Seven astronaut
• Walter Scott (1771–1832), a Scottish novelist and poet
• Walter Scott (disambiguation), for several people of the name
• Walter of Serviliano, an Italian hermit, abbot and saint
• Walter Smith, a Scottish football player and manager
• Walter Shaw Sparrow (1862–1940), a British writer on art and architecture
• Walter Stewart (disambiguation), for several people of this name
• Walter Tetley, a former American child actor
• Walter Ulbricht (1893-1973), German politician (SED), leader of East Germany from 1950 to 1971
• Walter Veltroni (1955–), an Italian writer, journalist and politician
• Walter Waalderbos, Dutch footballer
• Walter Whitman (1819–1892), an American poet, journalist, essayist and humanist
• Walter Bruce Willis (1955–), an American actor
• Little Walter (1930–1968), an American blues harmonica player
• Walter Zapp (1905–2003), a Baltic German inventor

Pseudonym

• Walter aka Valter, code name of WW2 hero Vladimir Perić
• "Agent Walter", early codename of Josip Broz Tito
• Walter, pseudonym of the author of My Secret Life (erotic memoir)

Fictional

• Walter (Muppet), a Muppet character introduced in the 2011 film The Muppets
• Walter, a puppet of ventriloquist Jeff Dunham (1962–)
• Walter the Softy Brown, an enemy of Dennis and Gnasher from The Beano comic since 1953
• Walter Donovan, the main antagonist of the 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
• Walter E. Kurtz, the main antagonist of the 1979 film Apocalypse Now
• Walter Mitty, the title character in James Thurber's 1939 short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
• Corporal Walter Eugine "Radar" O’Reilly, from the 1968–1986 M*A*S*H franchise of books, movies, and television
• Walter, one of the protagonists in the 2005 film Zathura
• Walter Newell, secret identity of Stingray (comics), a Marvel Comics character since 1967
• Walter Sobchak, Vietnam veteran and best friend of "The Dude" in the Coen Brothers' 1998 film The Big Lebowski
• Walter White, the protagonist of the 2008–2013 TV series Breaking Bad
• Dr. Walter Bishop, a scientist on the 2008–2013 TV series Fringe
• Walter Joseph Kovacs, the secret identity of the vigilante "Rorschach" in Watchmen since 1968
• Walter Blythe, a character in "Rainbow Valley" (1919), "Anne of Ingleside" (1939), and "Rilla of Ingleside" (1921)
• Walter O'Brien, a character in the TV series "Scorpion"

Surname

medieval

• Walter, or FitzWalter, an armigerous family in Norman England
  • Theobald Walter, 1st Chief Butler of Ireland
  • Hubert Walter (c. 1160 – 13 July 1205), English archbishop and justiciar

early modern

• Johann Walter (1496–1570), German composer and poet
• Thomas Walter (botanist) (1740–1789), British-born American botanist
• Anton Walter (1752–1826), German piano maker

modern

• Andrew Walter (born 1982), American football quarterback
• Ben Walter (born 1984), Canadian ice hockey player
• Bruno Walter (1876–1962), German-American conductor and composer
• Carl Walter (c. 1831–1907), German-Australian botanist and photographer
• David Walter (disambiguation), several people
• Eugene Walter (1921–1998), American writer and actor
• Francis E. Walter (1894–1963), American politician
• Fritz Walter (football executive) (1900–1981), German football executive
• Fritz Walter (footballer born 1960), German footballer
• Fritz Walter (politician) (1896–1977), German politician
• Fritz Walter (1920–2002), German footballer
• Harriet Walter (born 1950), British actress
• Harvey Washington Walter (1819-1878), American lawyer and railroad business executive
• Hellmuth Walter (1900–1980), German engineer
• Jamie Campbell-Walter (born 1972), British professional racing driver
• Jean Walter (1883–1957), French architect
• Jessica Walter (born 1941), American actress
• Joachim Walter (born 1940), East German football player
• Joe Walter (American football) (born 1963), American football tackle
• Joe Walter (footballer) (1895–1995), British football player
• Joe Walter (Ohio politician) (born 1947), former member of the Ohio House of Representatives
• Joseph Walter (1783–1856), British marine artist
• Kevin Walter (born 1981), American football wide receiver
• Ottmar Walter (1924–2013), German footballer
• Otto F. Walter (1928–1994) Swiss journalist, author and publisher
• Owen Walter (born 1979), Canadian ice hockey defenceman
• Raymond Walter (born 1972), New York State Assemblyman
• Ruedi Walter, (1916–1990) Swiss comedian and actor
• Ryan Walter (born 1958), Canadian hockey player
• Silja Walter (1919–2011) Swiss author and Benedictine nun
• Thomas U. Walter (1804–1887), American architect
• Tracey Walter (born 1947), American character actor
• Ulrich Walter (born 1954), German astronaut

See also

• Valter
• Walters (disambiguation)
• Wat (disambiguation)
• Waldemar (disambiguation)
• Vladimir (name)

References