Where does “Walter” come from?
Walter (German) comes from Old High German Waltheri, from Old High German heri, from Proto-Germanic *hari, from Proto-Germanic harjaz, from Proto-Indo-European kóryos, from Proto-Indo-European ḱer-, from Proto-Indo-European kr̥-, from Proto-Indo-European ker- — army.
Ancestry of “Walter”, step by step
Walter traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old High German Waltheri
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old High German | Waltheri | — |
| 2 | Old High German | heri | army |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | *hari | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | harjaz | army; army leader; commander; warrior |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kóryos | war; troops; army; war, troops |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |
via Proto-Germanic Waldaharjaz
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proto-Germanic | Waldaharjaz | — |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | waldą | might, power, authority |