Surname Spotlight: McQuaid

Heraldry is personal: arms associated with the McQuade surname were borne by specific families, and sharing the name does not mean sharing the blazon.

The meaning behind McQuaid

It is easy to miss McQuaid in an index if you only search for McQuade. In origin, the name means “The son of Wat, a pet form of Walter (rule, army)”.

Before spelling was fixed, McQuade was also written McQuaid. The same family of names includes McQuaide. The 2010 US Census counted 2,515 people named McQuaid, ranking it number 12,362 among American surnames. That is enough to place it in the top 25,000 American surnames.

Research your McQuaid family history with a full surname report and painted coat of arms.