Walker, a surname-turned-given-name, is derived from the Old English word wealcan, meaning "to walk." It was originally an occupational name given to a fuller who used a walker to clean and thicken raw wool. Walker was semi-used in the early-to-mid 1900s, but didn't truly catch on with parents until the 1990s. It cracked the Social Security Administration's top-150 for the first time in 2021 and has now been a top-100 boy's name every year since 2022. Actors Taye Diggs and Idina Menzel welcomed a son named Walker Nathaniel in 2009, but other parents are more interested in other names that end in er, including Oliver, Harper, Asher, Carter, Parker, Cooper and Walker.
