Show ContentsMcCade History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name McCade originated among the descendants of the ancient Pictish clans. It is derived from the Gaelic surname Mac Adaidh, which means son of Adam. Addie, Addy, Adie, Eadie, Eddie, and Edie are all pet forms or double diminutives of the name Adam.

Early Origins of the McCade family

The surname McCade was first found in Perthshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt) former county in the present day Council Area of Perth and Kinross, located in central Scotland, where they held a family seat at Strathardle, in the valley of the Ardle Water.

The first of the Clan was Gillimichael M'Ade, famous in Strathardle tradition, who was alive in 1232. The name took on many forms as it emerged from the original Gaelic. MacAddie, MacKeddie, MacChaddy, and when it became fashionable to drop the Mac it became Addie, Keddie, Chaddy, even MacKiddie, and so on.

Their home and clan seat was deep in the forest of Strathardle at Petcarene. Some members of the Fergusons of the Balmacruchie became McAdies.

ONe of the first records of the family was "the ship of John Kede, a Scotsman, was wrecked at Holkham, Norfolk, England, in 1388," 1 but from that early recording we must wait almost two centuries to find the next. The same source note that "John Kady was in record in Dysart, 1577, Margaret Keddie in Falsyde, parish of Roberton, 1623, and Dorathia Kadie, was heir of Alexander Kadie, tailor in Edinburgh, 1616. " 1

Early History of the McCade family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCade research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1635, 1639, 1647, 1664 and 1670 are included under the topic Early McCade History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCade Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages, there was no basic set of rules and scribes wrote according to sound. The correct spelling of Scottish names were further compromised after many haphazard translations from Gaelic to English and back. Spelling variations of the name McCade include MacAddie, McAddie, MacKeddie, McKeddy, MacKiddie, McKiddie, MacKedy, McKedy, MacKeddey, McKeddey, MacAdie, McAdie, Keddy, Keddie, Cheddy, Cheddie, Keddey, Kedy, Kiddie, Kiddy, Cheddey, MacEddie, McEddie, MacEddy, McEddy, Kede, Ceddy, Keddie, MacAdie and many more.

Early Notables of the McCade family

More information is included under the topic Early McCade Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


New Zealand McCade 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:

McCade Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Robert McCade, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Siam" in 1865


  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)


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