2000
#9,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,314
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.23
Rare Last name
Quade
Derived from the Gaelic "Mac Uaid," meaning "son of Uad" (Uad being a personal name of unknown meaning).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,616 Americans carry the last name Quade. That puts it at #9,806 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,788 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Quade surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 94,788
Census rank
#9,806
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,153 bearers of the surname Quade in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9806th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Quade, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Quade
The surname Quade is believed to have originated in Germany, where it was derived from the Old German word "quade," meaning "evil" or "bad." This name likely arose as a nickname or descriptive name for someone with a perceived negative or undesirable trait or characteristic.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Quade can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. In some historical records, the name was also spelled as "Quad" or "Quaad," reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Quade was Johann Quade, a prominent merchant from Hamburg, who lived in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Hans Quade, a German painter and engraver active in the 16th century, known for his religious works and portraits.
In the 17th century, the name Quade appeared in the records of the town of Quedlinburg, located in the present-day state of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The town's name itself is derived from the Old German words "quid" and "ling," meaning "a source" or "a spring," suggesting a possible connection between the surname and this specific location.
As the Quade family spread across Europe, the name took on various spellings and variations. In the Netherlands, for instance, the name was sometimes spelled as "Quadé" or "Quadij," while in Scandinavia, it was adapted to "Kvade" or "Kwade."
One of the most notable individuals with the surname Quade was Friedrich Quade, a German philosopher and writer born in 1792. He was known for his works on aesthetics and his influential theories on the relationship between art and morality.
Another prominent figure was Johann Gottfried Quade, a German mathematician and astronomer born in 1735. He made significant contributions to the fields of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
In the realm of literature, Reinhold Quade, a German novelist and poet born in 1876, gained recognition for his lyrical works and his depictions of rural life in northern Germany.
Moving into the 20th century, Karl Quade, a German politician and trade unionist born in 1893, played a prominent role in the Social Democratic Party of Germany and served as a member of the Reichstag during the Weimar Republic.
While the surname Quade is most commonly associated with its German origins, it has also been found in other parts of Europe, likely due to migration and the spread of families over time. However, the majority of historical records and notable individuals with this surname can be traced back to its Germanic roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Quade
Among Census respondents with the surname Quade, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Quade bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Quade surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 2,880
- Two or more races3.4% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 29
- Black or African American0.6% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Quade
Quade appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,491
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,426
+112 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 422 places
2020
#9,806
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,153
-273 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 315 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,069 | 3,314 | 1.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,491 | 3,426 | 1.16 | +112 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 422 places |
| 2020 | #9,806 | 3,153 | 1.05 | -273 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 315 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Quade surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,491 | #9,806 | -3.3% |
| Count | 3,426 | 3,153 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.16 | 1.05 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Quade bearers went from 3,426 to 3,153 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 315 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,491 to #9,806.
FAQ
Quade surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Quade?
Name Census estimates that about 3,616 living Americans carry the surname Quade. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,788 residents.
How common is Quade?
Quade ranks #9,806 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,153 people with the surname Quade. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,616), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Quade.
Has Quade become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Quade went from 3,426 recorded bearers to 3,153. That is a decrease of 273 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,491 to #9,806.
What does the Census say about the background of Quade?
Among Census respondents with the surname Quade, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Quade in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (2,880 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Quade appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (1.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Quade (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Quade mean?
Derived from the Gaelic "Mac Uaid," meaning "son of Uad" (Uad being a personal name of unknown meaning). The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Quade (1.05 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Quade?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.