How to say it
CADE
/keɪd/
Masculine
Cade
Round, lumpy, or 'battle'
What it means
Two roots converged: English surname from Old English cada ('round, lumpy,' a nickname) and Welsh from cad ('battle'). Also used as a short for Cadwyn or Cayden. Cade was an English first name in Tom Clancy's Net Force (1990s) and the Saw and 90210 reboot eras.
Cade has two competing roots. The English surname Cade descends from the Old English cada, originally a nickname for someone round or lumpy (the same root that gives 'cad' meaning a low or ungentlemanly person, a 19th-century narrowing). The Welsh reading derives Cade from cad ('battle'), as in Cadell or Cadwyn. Jack Cade led the 1450 Kentish rebellion against Henry VI (a footnote in Shakespeare's Henry VI Part 2). As a first name Cade is American and modern, basically post-1990. It entered the US top 500 in 2006 and is steady in the 400-600 range. Common as a stand-alone short for Cayden, Caden, and similar -aden names.
Popularity over time
peaked at #201 in 2001, currently #248 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pop culture
Cade reads as a short, sharp American name; it's often a stand-alone short for Cayden or Caden, and the historic English surname adds a small Shakespearean footnote.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Jack Cade Leader of the 1450 Kentish rebellion against Henry VI
Spelling variants
- Caide
- Kade
Names with the same feeling
See Cade from another angle
By meaning
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