Show ContentsAde History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Ade family

The surname Ade was first found in the county of Berwickshire, Scotland, where "Ade Rede, William Ade of Inverkeithin rendered homage [to King Edward I] in 1296." 1

Eddi, Aedde, or Eddius (fl. 669), was an English "biographer, who assumed the name of Stephanus probably on taking orders, was brought into Northumbria by Bishop Wilfrith or Wilfrid when he returned from Canterbury in 669. " 2

Early History of the Ade family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ade research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1500, 1622, 1634, 1640, 1675, 1685, 1708 and 1734 are included under the topic Early Ade History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ade Spelling Variations

During the era when a person's name, tribe and posterity was one of his most important possessions, many different spellings were found in the archives examined. Ade occurred in many references, and spelling variations of the name found included Ade, Addie, Addy, Addey, Eadie, Eddie, Edie, Edey, Aidie, Aidy, Aiddye, Adie and many more.

Early Notables of the Ade family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

  • William Ade; and John Etty of York (c. 1634-1708), an English architect and craftsman; and his son, William Etty (c. 1675-1734), an English architect and craftsman, best known for designing Holy Trini...
  • Many Addies made important contributions in Scottish and northern English life. For more details see Zetland Family Histories by F. I. Grant, and the Adies of Smiddiegreen by W. MacFarlane

Ireland Migration of the Ade family to Ireland

Some of the Ade family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Ade migration to the United States +

Gradually becoming disenchanted with life in Ireland many of these uprooted families sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. These overcrowded ships often arrived with only 60 to 70% of their original passenger list, many dying of illness and the elements, were buried at sea. In North America, early immigrants bearing the family name Ade, or a spelling variation of the surname include:

Ade Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Ade, his wife, two sons and two daughters, settled in America in 1709
  • Solomon Ade, who landed in South Carolina in 1747 3
Ade Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Jacob Ade, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 3
  • Catherine and Joseph Ade, who settled in New York in 1874
  • Friederike Ade, who arrived in America in 1881 3

New Zealand Ade migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Ade Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • George Ade, aged 22, a miller, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1841 4
  • George Ade, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1843
  • Mr. George Ade, (b. 1845), aged 25, British taylor travelling from London aboard the ship 'Merope' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 27th October 1870 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Ade (post 1700) +

  • George Ade, American humorist and playwright
  • George Ade (1866-1944), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Indiana, 1908 6
  • Brigadier-General George Ade Davis (1884-1958), American Adjutant-General of Oklahoma (1940-1947) 7
  • Ade Coker (b. 1954), retired Nigerian-American footballer
  • Ade Capone (1958-2015), Italian comic book writer


  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  5. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  7. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, January 10) George Davis. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Davis/George_Ade/USA.html


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