Wade Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Wade last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Wade last name
Meaning of the Wade last name: dweller by a ford. Wade is an English name for someone who lived near a ford, a shallow place where a river could be crossed on foot. It is especially common in northern England. A curious detail: in English folklore Wade was also the name of a legendary giant who could wade through rivers and seas, mentioned in medieval poems that are now mostly lost.
Arms associated with the Wade name
In England, gold stood for generosity and silver for peace, and the Wade name belongs to that old language of colour.
Get your full Wade family history
This is only a glimpse of the Wade story. The full Wade history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Wade coat of arms. Get the full Wade report.
Wade name FAQ
What does the Wade name mean?
Dweller by a ford. Common variants include Waide, Wayde, Waddell.
Where does the Wade surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Australia and Ireland.
Is there a Wade coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Wade coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); US Census Bureau 2010.