Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Quade
Quade is the transferred use of a surname into a masculine forename. It’s the anglicized form of an Irish-Gaelic clan name: Mac Uáid meaning “descendent of Uáid” with Uáid being the Irish-Gaelic form of Wat – and Wat being a medieval short form of Walter. The name Walter (Olde English: Wealdhere) is ultimately derived from the Old High German Walthari meaning “ruler of the army” from the Germanic elements waltan meaning “to rule” and hari meaning “army.” The Norman-French would reintroduce this name to the Anglo-Saxons following the Norman Conquest of 1066 in the Old North French form of Waltier which would eventually replace the Old Saxon Wealdhere – and still later the Normans would bring the name to Ireland following the Norman Invasion of Ireland in the late 12th century. The Irish would use their own form of this name in their native Gaelic tongue: Uáid. Soon enough, a “Mac” prefix would be added to denote a “son of Uaid” and eventually “Mac Uáid” became MacQuade, or MacQuaid in their more anglicized forms. This Irish surname is most well known in County Monaghan, Ireland – in the province of Ulster in the north part of the island. Without the “Mac” prefix, it’s a clan name well known in County Limerick (south-central Ireland in the province of Munster).
One of the earliest historical figures to bear the name Walter was a legendary Visigoth hero from the 5th century, Walter of Aquitaine, whose story was quite popular during the Middle Ages and known to the Anglo-Saxons. Waldere (Walter) is in fact the name of an Anglo-Saxon epic poem recovered in between the pages of an Elizabethan prayer book by a 19th century Copenhagen librarian 1000 years after it had been written! Although only fragments were found, the poem’s existence indicates the popularity of this legend throughout the Germanic world. It tells of the Gothic hero Waldere and his love Hiltigund (a Burgundian princess) who are taken hostage by the Huns and subsequently flee after stealing treasures from Attila’s court. The king of the Burgundians, Gunther, gets wind of the valuable booty and believing the lovers and their treasure to be a part of his domain, takes pursuit. The young fugitives are eventually overtaken by the king and his men, but Walter positions himself well and kills them all in single bloody combat (all but the king and his main officer Hagen). Gunther and Hagen continue to pursue Walter and engage in one final, brutal battle before a peace agreement is reached. The poem ends with the assurance of a happy future for Walter and his bride Hiltigund.
Walter has been an extremely popular name among the English, dating way back to medieval England and on par with names like John, Robert, William and Richard. It’s no surprise the Irish picked up their own form of this name.
All About the Baby Name – Quade
Personality
OF THE BOY NAME QUADE
The Three energy is powerful and enthusiastic. These personalities are cheerful, full of self-expression, and often quite emotional. They have an artistic flair and "gift-of-gab" that makes them natural entertainers. Their joyfulness bubbles over, and their infectious exuberance draws a crowd. The Three personality is like a child - forever young and full of delight. They are charming, witty, and generally happy people. The Three personality lives in the "now" and has a spontaneous nature. Threes seem to live with a bright and seemingly unbreakable aura that attracts others to them. In turn, they are deeply loyal and loving to their friends and family. Luck also has a tendency to favor number Threes.
Popularity
OF THE BOY NAME QUADE
Quade has never been used with enough regularity in the United States to land a position on America’s Top 1000 list. To put this in perspective, only 34 baby boys were called Quade in 2013 and a mere 28 were named Quaid. So while this is a name in circulation, it is used with such rarity that most people are unaware of its existence as a masculine personal name (as a surname, people may be reminded of acting brothers Dennis and Randy Quaid). There are several reasons why we like this name. One, it starts with a Q – that alone makes it a unique choice. And two, it’s Irish. Just as Liam is the Irish-Gaelic form of William, or Seán for John, Seamus for James, Alastar for Alexander – so too is Quade the Irish-Gaelic equivalent of another common name: in this case Walter. Today Walter is generally considered crusty and outdated – but Quade puts a fresh and modern spin on an old Germanic name. Plus it’s a name with a strong etymology and an interesting history.
Quick Facts
ON QUADE
GENDER:
Boy
ORIGIN:
Gaelic
NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:
1
RANKING POPULARITY:
N/A
PRONUNCIATION:
KWAYD
SIMPLE MEANING:
Son of Walter (Ruler of the army)
Characteristics
OF QUADE
