unisex name · in the US
Shade
- Gender Unisex (US)
- Letters 5
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 2,657
Shade is a unisex name in the United States. It is given to both girls and boys — about 56% of recorded births with this name are girls. In 2025 it was given to 17 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
- Peaked in 1993, when 88 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 195,046 babies in the United States is given this name.
Shade Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 28 |
| 1890s | 18 |
| 1900s | 6 |
| 1910s | 72 |
| 1920s | 66 |
| 1930s | 48 |
| 1940s | 28 |
| 1950s | 13 |
| 1960s | 31 |
| 1970s | 56 |
| 1980s | 310 |
| 1990s | 624 |
| 2000s | 384 |
| 2010s | 230 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 111 |
How Popular Is Shade?
In 2025, Shade was given to 17 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Shade Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Shade Is Spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Shadé | Shadé is a rare spelling of Shade, written with an acute accent and recorded about 225 times, mostly in France. | 225 |
Names That Peaked Alongside Shade
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Shade Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Shade over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Boys' or Girls' Name?
Shade is used differently depending on where you are. Each figure is the share of babies given the name who were girls, over the last ten years of that country's records.
- United States Both 14% girls · 194 babies
- France Girls' 100% girls · 180 babies
Sibling Names for Shade
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Shade — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Shade
How popular is the name Shade?
In 2025, Shade was given to 17 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Is Shade a girl's or a boy's name?
Shade is used for both girls and boys. About 56% of recorded births with this name are girls.
When was Shade most popular?
Shade peaked in 1993, when 88 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Shade a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Shade currently ranks #3,957 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.