Wade (surname)

Wade is a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin.

It is thought to derive from the Middle English given name "Wade", which itself derived from the Old English verb "wadan" (wada) meaning "to go", or as a habitational name from the Old English word "(ge)waed" meaning "ford".

[1][2][3] Variants of this surname include Waide and Wadey, the latter a diminutive variant.

[2] There is also a documented relationship between Wade and Waythe, the latter derived by a variant form of "wade" meaning a ford, that being "wath"; there is likewise a relationship between Wade/Waythe and Ford/Forth.

[4]