Cade

Cade is the transferred use of an English surname derived from the medieval epithet “Cada” which itself originated from a Germanic word meaning ‘round, lumpy’. This pre-7th century nickname would have been used for a stout person. Alternately, but less likely, the surname developed from the Middle English word “cade” meaning ‘pet, domesticated animal’. In this case, the nickname would have been used for a gentle, harmless person. The surname dates back to the 12th century England. Cade is also sometimes considered a short form of the Scottish-Gaelic name Caden. The first name Cade notably appeared as a minor character in Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 novel “Gone with the Wind”. Cade Calvert was a southern boy from a good family who Scarlett’s father wished her to marry early on in the novel but whom Scarlett “wouldn’t have on a silver tray.” Cade returns from the Civil War a broken man with terminal tuberculosis. Still, it’s probably the first time Americans were introduced to Cade as a given name. The Southerners pretty much started the trend of using surnames as first names in the United States.