Wade
Wade was the 344th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 948 babies. Its best year was 1966, when it ranked 183rd; the most babies were born in 1970 (1,423). Over the last ten years it has moved up 175 places. More babies were named Wade in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning ford · Old English
Say it WAYD /weɪd/
- Rank in 2025
- #344 boys, down 3 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 948boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19701,423 babies
- Total since 1880
- 76,666babies recorded
What does the name Wade mean?
Wade is an English surname for someone who lived near a ford, from Old English (ge)wæd, "ford, shallow crossing". Harrison (1918) gives the same meaning and quotes records of the name from about 1200. In medieval legend Wade was also a sea giant, but that figure is not the usual source of the surname. It is used as a first name for boys.
wæd (Old English, “ford”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Wadeson.
See also: English names, names that mean water.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Wade', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Henry Harrison, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary, vol. 2 (1918), s.v. 'WADE', Morland Press (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
Wade popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 168 since 1916.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #344 | 948 |
| 2020 | #341 | 944 |
| 2010 | #599 | 415 |
| 2000 | #474 | 496 |
| 1990 | #323 | 778 |
| 1980 | #285 | 735 |
| 1970 | #189 | 1,423 |
| 1960 | #224 | 1,241 |
| 1950 | #297 | 529 |
| 1940 | #275 | 411 |
| 1930 | #319 | 298 |
| 1920 | #295 | 367 |
| 1910 | #281 | 75 |
| 1900 | #276 | 56 |
| 1890 | #235 | 51 |
| 1880 | #215 | 56 |
How popular is Wade, counting every spelling?
Wade has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #354 for boys in 2025, against #344 on the official list, because Kason/Kasen/Casen and Mohamed/Mohammad/Mohammed and Rhys/Reece/Rhyse move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Wade?
948 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Wade (0.26 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Wade 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 9 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Wade.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Wade?
About 56,800 people born in the US named Wade are alive today, with a median age of 46; half are between 21 and 60. That makes Wade mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
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.
Wade by state
How common Wade was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Montana (5.0×), Idaho (3.4×), West Virginia (2.7×), Kansas (2.5×), Missouri (2.4×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Connecticut, Nevada, New York.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Wade: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Wade, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Wade · Sibling names for Wade
Questions about the name Wade
What does Wade mean?
Wade means “ford” (Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Wade?
Wade was the 344th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 948 babies. Its best year was 1966, when it ranked 183rd; the most babies were born in 1970 (1,423). Over the last ten years it has moved up 175 places. More babies were named Wade in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Wade a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Wade in the US.
Where is Wade most popular?
In 2021–2025, Wade was most common in Montana (2.83 per 1,000 boys), followed by Idaho and Alaska.