| Walter | Herman | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Army ruler | Army man / soldier |
| Origin | germanic | germanic |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | WAWL-ter | HUR-mun |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1918 (13,338) | 1921 (3,219) |
| In 2025 | 1,381 | 0 |
| Trend | Rising | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Walter | Herman |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 7,725 | 321 |
| 2010s | 10,607 | 750 |
| 2000s | 8,133 | 1,103 |
| 1990s | 12,020 | 1,957 |
| 1980s | 17,568 | 3,124 |
| 1970s | 25,726 | 4,761 |
| 1960s | 45,929 | 8,360 |
| 1950s | 72,197 | 13,832 |
| 1940s | 83,728 | 16,856 |
| 1930s | 80,908 | 20,319 |
| 1920s | 119,809 | 29,011 |
| 1910s | 89,145 | 22,598 |
| 1900s | 19,997 | 5,064 |
| 1890s | 19,495 | 4,232 |
| 1880s | 18,185 | 3,689 |
From Germanic 'wald' (rule, power) and 'heri' (army), giving 'ruler/commander of the army'. Brought to England by the Normans.
From Germanic 'heri' (army) and 'man' (man), giving 'man of the army, soldier'. The Latinized Arminius refers to the same Cheruscan war-leader.
Walter is more popular than Herman today: about 1,381 US babies were given the name Walter in 2025, compared with 0 named Herman.
Walter means Army ruler (germanic origin), while Herman means Army man / soldier (germanic origin).
In US records, Walter first appears in 1880 and Herman in 0, so Herman has the longer recorded history.