Schade
A German surname from a word meaning “damage,” “injury,” or, by extension, an “evil-doer” or “harmful person.”
The #8,365 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 78,005 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally explained from German Schade, going back to Middle High German schade and Old High German scado, words for harm, loss, or damage. In older nickname use it could also mean a harmful person, enemy, or wrongdoer, which fits the kind of descriptive surnames common in medieval German. Some older writers also connected it with personal-name forms, but the harm/damage sense is the clearest and best supported.
History
The name is well attested in German surname lists and related forms such as Schad and Landschade. Historical references also show it being treated as a byname with a rather negative sense, especially in compounds. In modern usage it survives as a fairly uncommon German surname and also appears in emigrant communities abroad.
Origin
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Variant spellings
Fun fact
Old Germanic and medieval name books sometimes gloss this surname with vivid meanings like “harmful one” or even “robber” in compounds such as Landschade.
From the historical record
“SHADDOCK. See SHADE. SHADE. (There is a German Schade.) The same as Chad or Ceadda ; whence probably, as diminutives, Shaddock and Shat- tock. Hath, had, chad signifies war. SHAKSPEARE. Variously Shakespeare, Shakespear, Shake- spere, Shakespeyre, Shakyspere, Schakespeire, Schakspere,”
— Ludus Patronymicus; or, the etymology of curious surnames