Cade

Cade comes from an English surname with more than one proposed explanation. Traditional accounts connect it with a descriptive nickname meaning “round” or with a word for a barrel or cask. The precise route may differ between families, so it is better to preserve that uncertainty than give every Cade one confident translation.

Kade is an alternative spelling with the same usual English sound. Cade also appears as a character name, including Cade Skywalker in the Star Wars stories. Caden is a longer modern name that can be associated with Cade, but it should not automatically determine Cade’s meaning. The single-syllable name works in full without needing a nickname.