From the German it was the first name ‘Walther‘, meaning "ruler of the army." From the Germanic term ‘wald’ it meant to rule and the ‘heri’ meaning army or warrior. The ‘er’ in German means “one who.” If the ‘von’ was placed in front of ‘Walter’ it meant “of” to indicate their main castle or estate. The German name can also refer to a wood-master or keeper of the wood.

The Old Norman French form of Walter was “Waltier.” The Normans in 1066 brought the name to England and Ireland. As an English and Welsh name, the meaning is son of Walter. Walters is a very common name and can be used as a given name.

Various spellings include Walther, Walt and Walter.

Most with the Walters surname originated from Germany and England. In Wales, the Walters surname is in Glamorgan and Carmalthenshire and Monmouthshire counties. In England, the surname is in the London area and in Staffordshire county.

The states with many Walters surnames are New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois. With the ‘Von Walters’ the states are Minnesota and Iowa.

A common occupation for Walters families was farming in the 1880s.

Famous: Charles Walters (MGM director and choreographer from 1940s to 1960s), Rex Walters (professional basketball player and coach), Eric Walters (Canadian children's author with perspectives of Canadian historical events), George Walters (19thcentury recipient of the Victoria Cross from the Crimean War), Capt. Richard J. Walters (1920s owner of Prins Valdemar and creator of the Miami Aquarium 1928 - 1950), Dr. Max Walters (British botanist, author and academic at King‘s College), Vanessa Walters (English novelist and playwright), Amy Walters (American television producer), Ian H. Walters (English sculptor), Nathaniel Walters (Wales international rugby player) and Wes Walters (Australian artist).