Wouter

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Boy · Germanic

Wouter

Say it: VOW-ter

Try it with your surname

Meaning

Dutch form of Walter, from Germanic wald 'rule' and hari 'army'.

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

A medieval Dutch name popular again in the 1970s–80s.

Its wave through time

No birth counts are recorded for this name in the records loaded here: it has been given to fewer than five babies a year, or not at all, since records began.

Through the ages

Used by

Dutch Flemish American

The family of the name

French	Gautier
English	Walter
German	Walther

Famous bearers

Wouter van Twiller, director of New Netherland

Names worth a look

KlaasBoyDutch short form of Nicolaas, from Greek nikē 'victory' and laos 'people'.Middle Ages

JelleBoyFrisian, of uncertain origin.Middle Ages

DiederikBoyFrom Germanic theud 'people' and ric 'ruler'.Middle Ages · forgotten

HiddeBoyFrisian, of uncertain origin.Middle Ages

LodewijkBoyDutch form of Louis, from Germanic hlod 'fame' and wig 'battle'.Middle Ages · forgotten

BavoBoyFrom Saint Bavo of Ghent, whose name's origin is uncertain.Early Medieval · forgotten

WoodrowBoyFrom an English surname for someone who lived in a row of houses by a wood (Old English wudu 'wood' + raw 'row').Modern · peak 1913

WihtredBoyThe second element is Old English rǣd 'counsel'; the first, wiht, is uncertain (perhaps 'creature, being').Early Medieval · forgotten

Where this comes from

Parish baptism registers
National birth statistics of European countries source
Colonial records of the Americas

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.