Walter m English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Italian, GermanicFrom the Germanic name
Waltheri meaning
"power of the army", from the elements
walt "power, authority" and
heri "army". In medieval German tales (notably
Waltharius by Ekkehard of Saint Gall) Walter of Aquitaine is a heroic king of the Visigoths. The name was also borne by an 11th-century French saint, Walter of Pontoise. The Normans brought it to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate
Wealdhere.
... [more] Waltraud f GermanFrom the Old German elements
walt "power, authority" and
drud "strength". This name was borne by a 7th-century Frankish saint who founded a convent near Mons, Belgium.
Wendel m & f Dutch (Rare), German (Rare), Portuguese (Brazilian)Old short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
wentil meaning
"a Vandal". The Vandals were a Germanic tribe who invaded Spain and North Africa in the 5th century. Their tribal name, which may mean "wanderer", has often been confused with that of the Wends, a Slavic people living between the Elbe and the Oder.
... [more] Werner m German, DutchFrom an Old German name derived from the element
warin, related to
war meaning "aware, cautious", combined with
heri meaning "army". This was the name of a 13th-century boy from Oberwesel, Germany who was formerly regarded as a saint. He is no longer recognized as such by the Church. Another famous bearer was the German physicist Werner Heisenberg (1901-1976).
Werther m German (Rare)Derived from the Old German elements
werd "worthy" and
heri "army". Goethe used this name in his novel
The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774).
Wilhelm m German, Polish, GermanicGerman cognate of
William. This was the name of two German emperors. It was also the middle name of several philosophers from Germany: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831), Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900), and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716), who was also a notable mathematician. Another famous bearer was the physicist Wilhelm Röntgen (1845-1923).
Willibald m German, GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
willo "will, desire" and
bald "bold, brave". Saint Willibald was an 8th-century bishop of Eichstätt, Bavaria.
Wiltrud f GermanDerived from the Old German elements
willo "will, desire" and
drud "strength". This name was borne by a 10th-century German saint from Bergen.
Wolfgang m German, GermanicDerived from the Old German elements
wolf meaning "wolf" and
gang meaning "path, way". Saint Wolfgang was a 10th-century bishop of Regensburg. Two other famous bearers of this name were Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) and German novelist and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832).
Wolfhard m GermanDerived from the Old German element
wolf meaning "wolf" combined with
hart meaning "hard, firm, brave, hardy".
Wolfram m GermanDerived from the Old German element
wolf meaning "wolf" combined with
hram meaning "raven". Saint Wolfram (or Wulfram) was a 7th-century archbishop of Sens. This name was also borne by the 13th-century German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach, the author of
Parzival.