Boys' name · peaked in 1970
Wade name popularity since 1925
70,876 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Wade. Half of them were born in 1974 or earlier, so the typical Wade is about 52 years old in 2026. Wade peaked in 1970 as the #189 name for boys, and it ranked #344 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 70,876
- Named Wade, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #344
- for boys in 2025 (948 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.8% boys
- 139 girls · 70,737 boys
- Most popular in
- North Dakota
- 3.80× its national share
Peak year is the year Wade made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Wade births per year, 1925–2025
1970 was the biggest year for Wade both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Steepest fall: Between 1976 and 1981, Wade's share of baby boys fell by 44%, from 1 in 1,560 to 1 in 2,770.
- Fastest rise: Between 2014 and 2019, it became 2.1× more common, from 1 in 3,770 baby boys to 1 in 1,800.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Wade's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Wade.
Decade by decade
Babies named Wade in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 5 | 1,718 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 3,094 | #301 |
| 1940s | 0 | 4,293 | #306 |
| 1950s | 11 | 8,531 | #242 |
| 1960s | 31 | 12,866 | #194 |
| 1970s | 57 | 10,425 | #197 |
| 1980s | 23 | 6,973 | #314 |
| 1990s | 0 | 5,987 | #435 |
| 2000s | 7 | 4,494 | #507 |
| 2010s | 0 | 6,506 | #519 |
| 2020–25 | 5 | 5,850 | #344 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
24.9% of babies named Wade from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen X years (1965–1980). The full split by generation:
Where Wade is most popular
The index compares Wade's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Wade.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | 3.80× | 821 |
| Montana | 3.28× | 658 |
| South Dakota | 3.27× | 714 |
| Idaho | 2.51× | 684 |
| Utah | 2.30× | 1,342 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Wade's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Wade.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Wade (1970).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data