Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Aug 1, 2026

Wouter

Wouter is a Dutch masculine given name popular in the Netherlands and Belgium. It is the Dutch equivalent of the English name Walter and French name Gauthier, both of Germanic origin, meaning "ruler of the army", "ruler of the forest" or "bright army". Wouter is sometimes shortened to Wout. The patronymic surname of Wouter is Wouters.

Last revised
Aug 1, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
441 w
Citations
1
Source
Wouter
Pronunciation[ˈʋʌutər]
GenderMale
Origin
Word/nameOld Dutch
Meaning"ruler of the army", "bright army"
Region of originLow Countries
Other names
NicknameWout
Related namesValter, Valtyr, Walter, Gauthier, Gualterio, Gualtierre

Wouter is a Dutch masculine given name popular in the Netherlands and Belgium. It is the Dutch equivalent of the English name Walter and French name Gauthier, both of Germanic origin, meaning "ruler of the army", "ruler of the forest" or "bright army".1 Wouter is sometimes shortened to Wout. The patronymic surname of Wouter is Wouters.

People named Wouter

Sports

Cycling

Football

Other sports

Entertainment

Politics

Art

Other

See also

See also

References

References