Fun Facts About the Name Kaede
- 317 babies named Kaede: U.S. records list 317 babies given the name Kaede from 1880 through 2025. Even 70 boys received the name Kaede - about 1 boy for every 4 girls.
What Does the Name Kaede Mean?
Kaede is a Japanese name meaning "maple" - the maple tree. It is written with the kanji 楓, or in hiragana as かえで. The kanji 楓 is an old Chinese character that names the sweetgum tree, not the Japanese maple; Japanese writers borrowed the character to write their own word kaede, so the character and the word have separate histories.
The origin of the Japanese word kaede is not fully settled. One traditional explanation traces it to kaerude (蛙手), literally "frog's hand," from a resemblance between the leaf and a frog's webbed foot. Another connects it with kaeru, "to change," plus te, "hand," referring to the leaves' change of color in autumn. These are popular explanations rather than firmly documented derivations, and the word's deeper origin remains uncertain.
Japanese also calls the maple momiji (紅葉), a word that first referred to colored autumn leaves and only later came to name the tree. Kaede does not take its meaning from that word.
Kaede Name History & Origins
The word kaede is old in Japanese and appears in classical poetry, where the tree and its leaves mark the autumn season; maple viewing (momijigari) developed into a seasonal pastime. When Japanese wrote the word, it used the borrowed Chinese character 楓, applying a character for the sweetgum to a native tree - the same kind of mismatch that occurred with other plant names.
As a personal name, Kaede is given mainly to girls and is written either with the kanji 楓 or in kana; it is occasionally given to boys as well. Because the given name is identical in sound, and usually in writing, to the everyday noun for the tree, it does not have a separate documented origin of its own.
Kaede is also found as a surname and in Japanese place names. Outside Japan, the name appears occasionally in English-speaking countries, often in families with Japanese connections, and it is used for characters in Japanese fiction, which keeps the name recognizable to readers of translated manga and anime.
How Popular is the Name Kaede?
Kaede has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2006. Its best rank was #7,137 in 2014.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #16,014 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2023 | #8,697 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2021 | #12,801 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #16,231 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2019 | #10,875 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #10,161 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2017 | #12,156 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2016 | #9,726 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #13,682 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #7,137 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2013 | #8,339 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2012 | #9,376 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2011 | #10,043 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2010 | #10,798 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2009 | #11,051 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2008 | #13,159 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2007 | #8,295 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2006 | #7,305 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2005 | #8,092 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2004 | #9,548 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2003 | #10,008 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2002 | #14,443 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #16,204 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #10,818 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1997 | #14,813 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | #7,501 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #13,265 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2021 | #10,234 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #10,054 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #13,218 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #13,026 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #11,445 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #9,421 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #13,558 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2007 | #13,370 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2003 | #10,219 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Kaede Shapes Your Personality and Life?
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Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Kaede's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Kaede's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.