boy's name
Wade
WAYD (English)
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 79,320
the United States
#344
2025 births
Wade means a river crossing, and there is a second Wade entirely — a Germanic sea giant from Old English legend whose story Chaucer refers to as though everyone knew it, and which is now lost.
- Wade is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1970, when 1,430 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1970s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 3,497 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Wade 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 | 523 |
| 1890s | 530 |
| 1900s | 557 |
| 1910s | 2,336 |
| 1920s | 3,567 |
| 1930s | 3,094 |
| 1940s | 4,293 |
| 1950s | 8,542 |
| 1960s | 12,897 |
| 1970s | 10,482 |
| 1980s | 6,996 |
| 1990s | 5,987 |
| 2000s | 4,501 |
| 2010s | 6,506 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 5,855 |
What Wade Means
Wade means a ford, or to go. The Old English wadan means to move through water, and the noun for a crossing point comes from the same root.
Where Wade Comes From
Wade is an English place name and surname from a ford, from wadan, to go or move through water. Separately there was a legendary Wada, a giant of Germanic myth associated with the sea and with a boat; Chaucer alludes twice to Wade's boat as a story his readers knew, and the tale itself has not survived, so we have references to a legend nobody can now read. The name is reviving.
Wade in Use
Wade peaked in the United States in 1970, when 1,430 babies were registered, and it is reviving. It now ranks 344th in the United States on 948 births, 1,292nd in England and Wales on 24 and 5,885th in France, across 79,320 lifetime births in four markets. It is one of four reviving names in this group, with Wallace, Perry and Edmond.
How Popular Is Wade?
In 2025, Wade was given to 948 babies in the United States, ranking #344 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Where Wade 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.
Names That Peaked Alongside Wade
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Wade Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Wade over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Wade
- English WAYD /weɪd/
Wade in Other Languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Wayde
Sibling Names for Wade
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Wade — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Wade
What does the name Wade mean?
A ford, or river crossing — from the Old English wadan, to move through water.
Who was the legendary Wade?
A Germanic sea giant. Chaucer refers twice to Wade's boat as a familiar story, and the tale is lost.
Is Wade coming back?
It is reviving, at 344th in the United States.
How popular is Wade?
344th in the United States, and rising.
Is Wade a girl's or a boy's name?
Wade is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Wade?
Wade has 1 syllable.
Is Wade a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Wade currently ranks #344 in the United States. After peaking in the 1970s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.