Cadence
Masculine · “rhythm”
Cadence is given to both — 2,125 boys and 22,430 girls since 1880. See Cadence as a girl nameSee other names given to both
Cadence is a falling — the Latin cadere, to fall — because a musical phrase drops to its close, and the word means the fall itself.
How old is the name Cadence?
Cadence first appears in US birth records in 1992 — 33 years ago. The typical Cadence is a kid of about 12 — this name's wave is very recent. About 2,100 people named Cadence are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Cadence most popular?
Cadence peaked in 2023, reaching #1530 nationally. Today it ranks #1992, 462 places below that high. See the whole 2023 chart.
Where it comes from
From cadere to Cadence
The story of Cadence
Cadence entered American naming from the late 1990s among the music word-names — Harmony, Melody, Lyric, Aria, Cadence — which rose together. It is used for both sexes, more often feminine. Masculine Cadence appears in the American registers and is in current use.
Meaning
rhythm, a falling close
From the Italian cadenza and the Latin cadere, 'to fall'. In music a cadence is the sequence that closes a phrase; the falling is literal. The same root gives cascade, decay, accident and chance. The word is ordinary English and the meaning transparent.
How the name formed
- cadere
- cadenza
- cadence
- Cadence
Related forms: Kadence · Cadenza · Cadence
Pronouncing Cadence
KAY-dens
Two syllables, stress on the first. It is a homophone of the ordinary English noun.
Nicknames for Cadence
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1992
- Most boys named
- 2023115 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1530reached in 2023
- Change vs 2024
- −16.5%76 in 2025, from 91
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Cadence in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Kadence in English — spelling variant
- Cadenza in Italian — related form
- Cadence in French — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, Georgia.
Cadences among us
people named Cadence are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 22,475 born in 2025 was named Cadence
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Spellings of Cadence
- #1992
- Cadence on the 2025 chart
- #777
- counting every spelling
The SSA counts spellings, not names. Cadence went to 76 boys in 2025, but Kadence is the same name said out loud. Together the 2 spellings went to 151, which makes it the 777th most-given boys’ name of the year — 1,215 places above the chart.
- Cadence76
- Kadence75
About 1 boy in 11,312 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 22,475 for Cadence itself.
Spellings are grouped by a fixed rule that folds interchangeable English spellings of one sound (ck/k, ph/f, x/ks, a non-initial y for i) and keeps vowels apart, so Sean and Shawn stay separate names. It errs towards splitting: a family here is never larger than the truth. SSA national data, 2025. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Belvin test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Cadence's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Belvin climbed just as high around 1919, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Belvin's path sketches the road Cadence is walking now.
Cadence sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Cadence is headed
Cadence should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Cadence beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Cadence in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That cadence, cascade, decay and chance all share a root is a first-rate etymology.
- Cade is available as a short form with a real record.
- Two clean syllables with no pronunciation risk.
- It is an ordinary English noun and reads as one.
- In America it reads as more feminine than masculine.
- Kadence and Kaydence are both in circulation.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Cadence to the vote.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Cadence
Masculine · #1992 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Cadences are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,100 people named Cadence are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How do you spell Cadence?
- Cadence is the most-used spelling in US records — 76 of the 151 babies given the name in 2025. The others recorded are Kadence.
- How popular is the name Cadence in 2025?
- Cadence ranks #1992 among US boy names in 2025, with 76 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Cadence?
- About 1 in every 22,475 US boys born in 2025 was named Cadence — 76 in all.
- Will my child share the name Cadence with classmates?
- Cadence will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Cadence
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Exodus#1992 · Chosyn#1992 · Buck#1992 · Paolo#1992 · Hashim#1992 · Ori#1992 · Abubakr#1992 · Jed#1992
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Cadence? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Cadence and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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