Dade
Masculine
Dade is a surname name, and in America it is above all a county — one of the largest in the country, carrying the name of a soldier who is remembered for the way he died rather than for anything he did.
How old is the name Dade?
Dade first appears in US birth records in 1958 — 67 years ago. The typical Dade alive today was born around 2005, making them about 20 years old. About 900 people named Dade are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Dade most popular?
Dade peaked in 2001, reaching #1912 nationally. See the whole 2001 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Dade
A major named Dade was marching a column of soldiers through Florida when it was ambushed; almost all of them were killed in the first hour, and the survivors were counted on one hand. The country named a county after him, and the county now holds a major city, an international airport and several million people, most of whom have never wondered where the word came from. The war that ambush opened lasted seven years, cost more than any other campaign of its kind, and never produced a surrender — the Seminole were never defeated in the field and never signed away their claim, which is why a portion of that nation has always described itself as unconquered. A name on a map is sometimes the only surviving trace of an argument that nobody won.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The surname's origin is not settled. It has been connected to an English place name and to a medieval personal name, and neither has been demonstrated. What is documented is how it reached American maps, which is a different kind of history and better attested than most etymologies.
Pronouncing Dade
DAYD
One syllable, rhyming with made. Nothing in the spelling is ambiguous.
Nicknames for Dade
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
- 1958
- Most boys named
- 200157 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1912reached in 2001
- Change vs 2022
- +85.7%13 in 2023, from 7
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.
Dades among us
people named Dade are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Dade sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- One syllable, easy to say and impossible to misspell once heard.
- It has the settled sound of an old family name rather than a coinage.
- It is carried by almost nobody as a first name.
- For a great many Americans the word is a place in Florida before it is a person.
- It will be heard as Dave, Wade or Dane on a telephone.
- There is no meaning to hand him, only the history of the map.
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Dade
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Dades are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 900 people named Dade are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Dade in 2025?
- Dade is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Dade with classmates?
- Dade will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More D names
The most-given names starting with D, all years combined.
David#35 · Daniel#22 · Donald#690 · Dennis#707 · Douglas#807 · Dylan#41 · Danny#628 · Dale#1409
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Dade? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Dade and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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