Mcquade
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Uaid, meaning "son of Waid".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Mcquade. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Mcquade today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mcquade births was 1995 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mcquade. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Mcquade. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1995
5 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
1995 SSA rank
#9,805
Tracked since 1995
Popularity
Mcquade: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Mcquade by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Mcquade during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Mcquade
The first name Mcquade is a variant of the Irish surname McQuaid or McQuade, which itself derives from the Gaelic name Mac Uaid. This name can be traced back to the ancient Irish chieftains known as the Dál gCais, who ruled parts of what is now County Clare in the 10th century. The name is thought to have originated as a nickname, with the Gaelic word "uaid" meaning "to guide" or "to lead."
In the Middle Ages, the name Mcquade was most commonly found in County Westmeath, where the McQuaid clan had their ancestral lands. It was during this period that the anglicized spelling "Mcquade" began to emerge, as the name was adapted to the English language and spelling conventions of the time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the first name Mcquade can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the year 1164, a man named "Mcquade Ua Cerbaill" is mentioned as a leader of the Dál gCais in a battle against the Normans.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the first name Mcquade. In the 16th century, Mcquade O'Hanlon (1540-1609) was a renowned Irish chieftain and leader of the O'Hanlon clan in County Armagh. He played a significant role in the Irish Confederate Wars against English rule.
Another prominent figure was Mcquade O'Reilly (1670-1737), an Irish soldier and poet who served in the armies of France and Spain. He is best known for his poetic works that celebrated Irish culture and history.
In the 19th century, Mcquade Gallagher (1815-1901) was a pioneering American businessman and philanthropist. Born in County Donegal, Ireland, he emigrated to the United States and amassed a fortune in the mining and railroad industries.
More recently, Mcquade Lenihan (1923-2002) was an influential Australian politician and Member of Parliament for over 30 years. He served as the Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs in the Hawke government from 1983 to 1987.
Lastly, Mcquade O'Connor (born 1965) is a contemporary Irish author and journalist. He has written several acclaimed novels and non-fiction works that explore themes of Irish identity and culture.
People
Mcquade + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mcquade as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mcquade: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mcquade?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mcquade going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Mcquade a common name?
We classify Mcquade as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mcquade most popular?
The single biggest year for Mcquade was 1995, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mcquade is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Mcquade in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mcquade a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mcquade in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Mcquade still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mcquade in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Mcquade can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Mcquade?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.