How to say it
JUDE
/dʒuːd/
Masculine
Jude
Praised
What it means
Anglicized form of Hebrew Yehudah ('praised') via Greek Ioudas. One of Jesus's twelve apostles (distinct from Judas Iscariot); his name was kept by English-speakers as Jude rather than Judas to mark the difference.
Jude comes from the Hebrew Yehudah ('praised'), through Greek Ioudas. The same name in Hebrew is rendered Judah in English when referring to the biblical patriarch and the kingdom; Jude is the English form reserved for the apostle (one of the Twelve, traditionally identified with Thaddeus) to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot. Saint Jude is the patron of lost causes — his prayer card is one of the most-printed Catholic devotional images. The Beatles' Hey Jude (1968) and Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure (1895) are the strongest English-language anchors. The name surged in the 2000s with Jude Law's rise. It entered the US top 100 in 2021.
Popularity over time
peaked at #152 in 2019, currently #155 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
The Beatles' Hey Jude (1968) is the song; Jude Law gave the name modern Hollywood currency; Saint Jude is the patron of lost causes.
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.
- Saint Jude Apostle and patron of lost causes
- Jude Law British actor, The Talented Mr. Ripley and Sherlock Holmes
- Hey Jude (Beatles) 1968 single, the longest #1 of the Beatles' career
Spelling variants
- Judah
- Judas
Names with the same feeling
See Jude from another angle
By meaning
By style