Cadence
Cadence was the 1022nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 245 babies. Its best year was 2007, when it ranked 199th with 1,707 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 682 places. More babies were named Cadence in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning rhythm, cadence (word name) · English, Italian, Latin
Say it KAY-dunss /ˈkeɪdəns/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,022 girls, down 342 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 245girls
- Girls and boys
- 77% girls, 23% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20071,707 babies
- Total since 1880
- 24,555babies recorded
What does the name Cadence mean?
Cadence is the English word for rhythm, the rise and fall of the voice, or the closing chord of a musical phrase. It came through Middle French from Italian cadenza, from Latin cadere 'to fall', referring to the falling close of a phrase. As a given name it is an American word name, used from the 1970s and popular around 2007, along with Kaden and Caden.
cadenza (Italian, “cadence”)cadere (Latin, “to fall”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Kadence, Caden, Cadenza.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Cadence', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'cadence' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Cadence popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,022 | #1,994 | 245 | 76 |
| 2020 | #680 | #1,540 | 417 | 107 |
| 2010 | #227 | #1,627 | 1,382 | 96 |
| 2000 | #2,459 | #3,160 | 62 | 27 |
| 1990 | #4,891 | — | 19 | — |
| 1980 | #5,965 | — | 11 | — |
| 1970 | — | — | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Cadence, counting every spelling?
Cadence is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #742 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,022 for Cadence on its own. Together these spellings went to 374 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cadence | 245 | #1,022 | 1,466 |
| Kadence | 129 | #1,616 | 786 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Cadence?
245 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Cadence (0.07 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Cadence born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 34 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Cadence.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Cadence?
About 22,200 people born in the US named Cadence are alive today, with a median age of 16; half are between 11 and 20. That makes Cadence mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Cadence by state
How common Cadence was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Tennessee (2.2×), Virginia (1.9×), North Carolina (1.8×), Georgia (1.7×), Pennsylvania (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Louisiana, Iowa, Connecticut.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Cadence: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Cadence, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Cadence · Sibling names for Cadence
Questions about the name Cadence
What does Cadence mean?
Cadence means “rhythm, cadence (word name)” (English, Italian, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Cadence?
Cadence was the 1022nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 245 babies. Its best year was 2007, when it ranked 199th with 1,707 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 682 places. More babies were named Cadence in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Cadence a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 77% girls, 23% boys given the name Cadence in the US.
Where is Cadence most popular?
In 2021–2025, Cadence was most common in Alaska (0.58 per 1,000 girls), followed by Tennessee and Virginia.