Wade

Wade is a single clean step through shallow water, from the Old English wadan, meaning to go or cross. It began as a surname for those who lived near river fords and became a first name in the American South, carried by athletes and country singers and the melancholy hero of Gone with the Wind. One syllable, all forward motion, no ornament. It has hovered in the mid-reaches of American charts for decades, refusing trend cycles entirely. The name feels lean and dependable, denim rather than linen, a boy who shows up early and stays late. Wade suggests quiet competence and an unshowy kind of grit.