Given name & surname
Wade
“to cross the river ford”
Wade is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “to cross the river ford.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “to cross the river ford.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Wade through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 76,666
- 76,498 boys · 168 girls
- Most popular year
- 1970
- 1,430 babies
- 2025
- 948
- #344 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +8%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 948 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 344 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 7.8% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 1,423 in 1970. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (78). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 50,704 as a first name in 2020; 93,102 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Wade’s family of names
In English usage, Wade shares a linguistic root with the Old High German form Uuatto. Wade has a related form in Wayde. Wade has a related form in Waddell.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 10
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Waydevariant
- Waidevariant · English
- Wadellvariant
- Waddellvariant
- Waidvariant
- Waedevariant
- Waedvariant
- Waidellvariant
Show 2 moreShow fewer
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Wade
- Wade WilliamsAmerican actorborn 1961
- Wade BarrettBritish professional wrestler (born 1980)
- Wade DominguezAmerican actor (1966-1998)
- Wade Hampton IIIAmerican politician (1818-1902)
- Wade RobsonAustralian choreographer, creative director, and songwriterborn 1982
- Wade ReddenCanadian ice hockey playerborn 1977
- Wade BoggsAmerican baseball playerborn 1958
- Wade ElliottEnglish footballer and manager (born 1978)
- Wade Baldwin IVAmerican basketball player (born 1996)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Wade, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Bradley
“from the broad field” · “from the wide meadow”
96% boys · 4% girls
Dale
“from the small valley” · “from the valley”
97% boys · 3% girls
Kelvin
“a friend of ships; a man of the river”
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Dynell
“a man of the sea”
91% boys · 9% girls
Walding
“wood, forest”
—
Wickley
“from the village meadow”
>99% boys
Ashbourne
“ash-tree”
88% boys · 12% girls
Hwitely
“from the white meadow”
>99% boys