Nadege
A feminine French name meaning "the humble one" or "born at Christmas".
Name Census estimates that about 303 living Americans carry the first name Nadege. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nadege today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nadege births was 1986 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nadege. 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.
People living today
303
~ 1 in 1,131,202 Americans
Peak year
1986
21 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2021 SSA rank
#16,925
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Nadege: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nadege from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 121 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nadege 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 Nadege during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nadeges live
Origin
Meaning and history of Nadege
Nadege is a feminine given name of French origin. It is derived from the Old French word "nadier," meaning "to swim" or "to float." The name is believed to have its roots in the Occitan language, a Romance language spoken in southern France during the Middle Ages.
The first known recorded use of the name Nadege dates back to the 13th century in various regions of southern France. It was particularly popular among the nobility and upper classes during this time period. The name is thought to have been inspired by the graceful movements of swans and other aquatic creatures, symbolizing elegance and purity.
While the name Nadege does not appear in any major religious texts or scriptures, it has been mentioned in several historical records and literary works from medieval France. One notable example is the 14th-century French poem "Le Roman de la Rose," which features a character named Nadege.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Nadege. One of the earliest recorded examples is Nadege de Montfort (c. 1270-1329), a French noblewoman and the daughter of John de Montfort, Duke of Brittany. Another significant figure is Nadege de Pompadour (1721-1764), a member of the French court and the official mistress of King Louis XV.
Other notable Nadeges include:
1. Nadege Lacroix (1708-1780), a French opera singer and actress.
2. Nadege Duporge (1844-1914), a French writer and feminist activist.
3. Nadege Merle (1920-2011), a French actress and film director.
4. Nadege Patissier (1924-2008), a French fashion designer known for her haute couture creations.
5. Nadege Jolie (born 1976), a French singer and songwriter.
While the name Nadege has maintained its popularity in France and other parts of Europe, it has also gained recognition globally, with various spellings and pronunciations adopted in different cultures and languages.
People
Nadege + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nadege as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nadege: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nadege?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 303 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nadege 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 1,131,202 US residents.
Is Nadege a common name?
We classify Nadege as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 321 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nadege most popular?
The single biggest year for Nadege was 1986, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nadege is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Nadege a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nadege in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.