Quade
An Irish surname often treated as a variant of Quaid/Quoid, ultimately linked to the Gaelic Mac Uid(h)in or a similar form.
The #9,491 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 90,118 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name Quade is generally explained as an Anglicized spelling in the same Irish surname cluster as Quaid, Quoid, and MacWade. The old sources connect these forms with Gaelic Mac Uid(h)in or a related Irish patronymic, though the exact original Gaelic shape is not fully secure in the excerpts. In practice, Quade is best understood as a later English spelling of an Irish family name rather than a separate independent word.
History
Nineteenth- and early twentieth-century surname writers group Quade with variants such as Quaid, Quoid, MacWade, and MacQuade, especially in Irish contexts. The name appears in Irish genealogical and parish materials from the 18th century onward, suggesting it was in use as a settled surname by that period. Later spellings were standardized in different ways, which is why several near-identical forms survive.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books sometimes listed Quade simply as one spelling among several for the same family name, showing how fluid Irish surname spelling could be before modern standardization.
From the historical record
“q.v. MAC QUHAE \ asp. forms of Mao Quade : MACQUIE J V.Mac Quoid. MAC QUILLANl (Celt.) i Ir. Mac Uid{h)ilin MACQUILLINJ 2 confused with Mac”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)