Find out how popular the first name Shade has been for the last 50 years (from 1975 to 2024) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Shade by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Shade is more commonly used as a female name, with approximately 51% of people named Shade being female.

For the most recent data in 2024, there were 17 male babies and 5 female babies born with the name Shade.

It's also interesting to see that despite Shade being historically a mostly female name, the most recent data from 2024 shows a shift in the trend, with more male babies being named Shade.

The history of the first name Shade

The given name Shade is an English word derived from the Old English "sceadu," meaning "shadow" or "shade." It is believed to have originated in the 12th century as a descriptive term for someone who lived in a shaded or forested area.

In medieval times, the name was often used as a surname, but it gradually transitioned into being used as a first name, particularly among English-speaking communities. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Shade being used as a first name dates back to the late 16th century in England.

One notable historical figure with the name Shade was Shade KMetko, an American baseball player who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the early 20th century. He was born in 1892 and played professional baseball from 1914 to 1925.

Another individual with this name was Shade Carpenter, an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri in the late 19th century. He was born in 1835 and served in Congress from 1893 to 1897.

In the literary world, Shade was the name of a character in Vladimir Nabokov's novel "Pale Fire," published in 1962. The character, a poet, played a central role in the metafictional work.

Shade Buchanan was an American football player who played as a running back in the National Football League (NFL) in the 1990s. He was born in 1969 and played for teams such as the Atlanta Falcons and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Shade Okunade, born in 1998, is a contemporary Nigerian-American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Utah Jazz in the NBA. He was a highly touted high school prospect before being drafted in 2020.

While the name Shade may have originated as a descriptive term, it has evolved into a unique and distinctive given name over the centuries, with notable individuals bearing the name across various fields, including sports, politics, and literature.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Shade was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Shade, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!