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Wade Family History

Wade Name Meaning

English: from the Middle English personal name Wade (Old English Wada or via Norman French from ancient Germanic Wado of unclear origin but possibly related to Old English wadan ‘to go’). English: topographic name from Middle English wade ‘ford’ (Old English (ge)wæd ‘ford especially a tidal crossing’) for someone who lived by a ford or a habitational name from a place so called such as Wade Hall in North Cove (Suffolk). Irish: shortened and altered from Mac Uaid see McQuaid . German: occupational name or nickname from Middle Low German wade ‘garment large net’. West African (mainly Senegal also Mauritania): Wolof name of unexplained etymology.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Cade, Ware, Bade, Lade, Gade, Wale, Kade, Eade, Tade, Wage

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Where is the Wade family from?

You can see how Wade families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Wade family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Wade families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 487 Wade families living in Ontario. This was about 51% of all the recorded Wade's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Wade families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Wade surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Wade ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Wade. 32% of Wade men worked as a Farmer and 17% of Wade women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Wade were Student and Income. .

View Census Data for Wade | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    32%
  • Labourer
    10%
  • Laborer
    9%
  • Student
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Stenographer
    17%
  • Housekeeper
    14%
  • Nurse
    13%
  • Income
    11%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Wade family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 642,000 census records available for the last name Wade. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Wade census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Wade

Passenger Lists

There are 50,000 immigration records available for the last name Wade. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Wade immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 110,000 military records available for the last name Wade. For the veterans among your Wade ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Wade lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Wade life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1943, and highest in 1998. The average life expectancy for Wade in 1941 was 37, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Wade

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