Walther as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Walther

What is the meaning of the name Walther ?

The baby name Walther is a boy name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced VAHL-tuhr.

Walther is Germanic, Old High German in Origin.

Walther is the German spelling of a Continental Germanic masculine name, with its earliest secure form in Old High German Walthari and Latinized medieval Waltharius. The compound joins waltan, to rule or wield power, with heri, army, host. Its literal sense is therefore ruler of the army, not forest warrior; the initial element is the same root seen in many Germanic command names.

Medieval literature kept the name visible through the heroic Walther of Aquitaine in the Waltharius tradition, while Walther von der Vogelweide made it familiar in Middle High German lyric culture around 1200. Walter became the usual English form after Norman and continental transmission; Wouter, Gauthier, Gautier, Gualtiero, Gutierre, and Valter reflect regional sound changes. In modern German, Walther survives as both given name and surname, though English-speaking records show it as rare.