boys' name ★ peaked 1970

Wade

Meaning a ford Gender Boy Rank 2025 #344 Trend → Stable

From Old English wæd (“a ford”).

Rank 2025
#344
among boys · ↓3 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
948
named Wade · -6% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,802
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1970
1,430 babies
All-time total
76,666
#383 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Wade popularity over time

76,666 babies have been named Wade since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 523 523 52 – #202
1890s – 530 530 53 +1% #212
1900s – 557 557 56 +5% #222
1910s 5 2,331 2,336 234 +319% #261
1920s 29 3,538 3,567 357 +53% #287
1930s – 3,094 3,094 309 -13% #301
1940s – 4,293 4,293 429 +39% #275
1950s 11 8,531 8,542 854 +99% #221
1960s 31 12,866 12,897 1,290 +51% #183
1970s 57 10,425 10,482 1,048 -19% #189
1980s 23 6,973 6,996 700 -33% #285
1990s – 5,987 5,987 599 -14% #323
2000s 7 4,494 4,501 450 -25% #474
2010s – 6,506 6,506 651 +45% #335
2020s (to 2025) 5 5,850 5,855 976 +50% #326

Where Wade is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 958 0.56 #343
2027 966 0.57 #341
2028 973 0.57 #341
2029 979 0.57 #339
2030 984 0.58 #339

Where Wade is most popular

Boys named Wade per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.568 per 1,000. Strongest in Montana, Idaho, and Alaska.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Wade born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Montana 50 2.84 +399%
Idaho 78 1.91 +236%
Alaska 19 1.60 +181%
West Virginia 50 1.53 +170%
Kansas 98 1.43 +152%
Missouri 192 1.39 +144%
Utah 130 1.36 +140%
Nebraska 56 1.29 +127%
South Dakota 23 1.24 +118%
Iowa 76 1.10 +94%
Oregon 76 1.00 +76%
North Carolina 255 0.999 +76%
Wisconsin 116 0.979 +72%
Oklahoma 85 0.961 +69%
Indiana 150 0.935 +65%
Ohio 242 0.913 +61%
Kentucky 91 0.907 +60%
Arkansas 55 0.869 +53%
Louisiana 85 0.831 +46%
Maine 16 0.825 +45%
Washington 133 0.813 +43%
Michigan 164 0.801 +41%
New Mexico 26 0.789 +39%
South Carolina 78 0.755 +33%
Virginia 140 0.738 +30%
Tennessee 131 0.726 +28%
Minnesota 88 0.717 +26%
Mississippi 38 0.669 +18%
Pennsylvania 175 0.659 +16%
North Dakota 11 0.644 +13%
Colorado 83 0.643 +13%
Illinois 158 0.618 +9%
Georgia 149 0.588 ≈ national
New Hampshire 13 0.586 ≈ national
Maryland 62 0.520 -8%
Texas 445 0.505 -11%
Arizona 81 0.495 -13%
Florida 234 0.494 -13%
Alabama 46 0.421 -26%
California 343 0.375 -34%
New Jersey 73 0.363 -36%
Massachusetts 49 0.356 -37%
Hawaii 5 0.322 -43%
New York 103 0.238 -58%
Nevada 6 0.105 -81%
Connecticut 5 0.074 -87%
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Wade

Wade is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #344 in 2025 with 948 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 76,666 American babies have been named Wade. Its peak came in 1970, when 1,430 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Wade stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Wade?

The median living Wade is about 46 years old; half are between 21 and 60. An estimated 59 thousand people named Wade are alive in the United States today.

median 46 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Wade year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 948 #344
2024 – – 1,010 #341
2023 – – 977 #341
2022 – – 953 #344
2021 5 #17,524 1,018 #326
2020 – – 944 #341
2019 – – 999 #335
2018 – – 917 #361
2017 – – 902 #367
2016 – – 791 #406
2015 – – 555 #519
2014 – – 509 #544
2013 – – 486 #549
2012 – – 470 #555
2011 – – 462 #552
2010 – – 415 #599
2009 – – 402 #620
2008 – – 426 #592
2007 – – 486 #529
2006 – – 454 #555
2005 – – 486 #507
2004 7 #14,112 463 #519
2003 – – 403 #558
2002 – – 414 #539
2001 – – 464 #495
2000 – – 496 #474
1995 – – 527 #435
1990 – – 778 #323
1985 6 #10,649 650 #314
1980 – – 735 #285
1975 5 #10,584 1,126 #197
1970 7 #7,059 1,423 #189
1965 6 #6,520 1,300 #194
1960 5 #7,302 1,241 #224
1955 – – 836 #242
1950 – – 529 #297
1945 – – 381 #306
1940 – – 411 #275
1935 – – 329 #301
1930 – – 298 #319
1925 – – 333 #312
1920 7 #4,383 367 #295
1915 – – 266 #321
1910 – – 75 #281
1905 – – 64 #245
1900 – – 56 #276
1895 – – 39 #288
1890 – – 51 #235
1885 – – 54 #225
1880 – – 56 #215

Famous people named Wade

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Wade Robson Wade Robson Australian dancer and choreographer (born 1982) Contemporary
  2. 2 Wade Barrett Wade Barrett English professional wrestler (born 1980) Contemporary
  3. 3 Wade Williams Topics referred to by the same term b. 1961 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Wade Hampton III Wade Hampton III American soldier and politician (1818–1902) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Wade, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Wade?

The median living Wade is about 46 years old. Half of all living Wades are between 21 and 60 years old.

How many people named Wade are alive today?

An estimated 59 thousand people named Wade are alive in the United States, based on 76,666 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Wade mean?

From Old English wæd (“a ford”).

How popular is the name Wade in 2025?

Wade ranked #344 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 948 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Wade?

76,666 babies have been named Wade in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Wade most popular?

Wade peaked in 1970, when 1,430 newborns received the name.

Is Wade a boy or girl name?

Wade is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Wade rising or falling?

Wade is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Wade become more popular?

Wade looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 984 boys named Wade in 2030, ranking around #339. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Wade?

Well-known people named Wade include Wade Robson (dancer), Wade Barrett (wrestler), Wade Williams (actor).

Names like Wade

Names that sound and feel close to Wade: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Wade with similar names → More names starting with W →