Quade comes from the Irish surname McQuade, in Gaelic Mac Uaid, "son of Uaid", the Irish form of Walter, a Germanic name meaning "ruler of the army". As a first name it is a single-syllable choice in the style of Cade and Wade, with an unusual Q to set it apart. Quade peaked at number 2252 in 2024 and ranks number 2299 in 2025, with 61 births.