This interesting and unusual name has three distinct possible origins, the first being from the English medieval personal name "cade", Olde English pre 7th Century "Cada", which derives from a Germanic word meaning a "swelling" or "lump" and as such might have been used as a nickname for a stout person. The second possible origin is from the Olde French "Cade" meaning a cask or barrel, the surname therefore being a metonymic for a cooper, a barrel-maker. the third source is from the Middle English "cade", meaning a pet, domestic animal, especially one left by its mother and reared by hand. In this case the surname would evolve from a nickname for a gentle, inoffensive person. Early recordings of the name include William le Cade and Richard Cadde, (1327), The Pipe Rolls of Sussex and Worcestershire, respectively. On November 1st 1570, Richarde Cadd, an infant, was christened in St. Botolph without "Aldgate", London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Eustace Cade, which was dated 1186, Lincolnshire Pipe Rolls, during the reign of King Henry 11, "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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