A 1900s favorite, climbing again.
Popularity of Walden since 1908
Babies named Walden per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 2023, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Walden's real moment was 1908.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 5 |
| 1910s | 107 |
| 1920s | 183 |
| 1930s | 136 |
| 1940s | 116 |
| 1950s | 113 |
| 1960s | 77 |
| 1970s | 56 |
| 1980s | 42 |
| 1990s | 18 |
| 2000s | 83 |
| 2010s | 350 |
| 2020s | 241 |
Meaning & origin
Walden is a quiet but steadily rising choice for boys, reflecting a broader interest in surname-names with a literary touch. First recorded in 1908, it reached its peak rank of 3,181 in 2025, with approximately 1 in 46,164 newborns receiving the name. Its trajectory shows a clear revival beginning in 1993, aligning with a renewed appreciation for Thoreau's naturalist philosophy. The name's Old English roots evoke a 'wooded valley', giving it an earthy, outdoorsy feel. While it has not yet broken into the top 1,000, its steady climb suggests growing appeal among parents seeking a distinctive yet familiar-sounding name.
Walden is a locative surname and place name of English origin, derived from Old English 'weald' meaning 'forest' and 'denu' meaning 'valley', thus 'wooded valley'. It is best known as the title of Henry David Thoreau's 1854 book 'Walden', which chronicled his experiment in simple living beside Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. As a given name, it remained rare until a slow revival beginning in the 1990s.
“Walden” around the world
Where Walden lands in the latest official birth statistics abroad, matched to the U.S. spelling.
France
5
babies in 2024
Sources: INSEE (France).
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Wally, Denny
Sibling names for Walden
Names that share Walden's style, for a brother or sister.
