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Caden is a baby name that has ranked in the top 100 for the past two years, but yet there is little known about the name. A newcomer to popular baby name lists, Caden still carries with it a sense of the unusual. It is more commonly a masculine name, although it has at times been used as a girl's name.

Cayden is pronounced KAY-den. Variations of Caden include Cade, of which Caden might stem from, Cadyn, Cadence (feminine), Kaden, Kade, Kadyn, Cadyn, Caide, and Kayde.

There is little known about the origin of the name. As with many baby names, it is possible that it began as a surname. The Caden coat of arms, as well as the O'Caden coat of arms, have been well-documented in Ireland. Spelling variations of the surname include Cadden, Caddin, McCadden, McWadden, McAdam, and others. The Cadens were first found in Northern Ireland, in an area known as Armagh County.

The American meaning of Caden is "fighter" or "little fighter." The English meaning is "pure," while the Welsh is "spirit of battle." On a different note, the German attributed meaning is "marshy place." It has even been said Caden means "with a victorious heart," and "round."

Caden entered into the top 1000 baby names in 1982, and has remained ever since. It has climbed the list pretty steadily, ending up at #98 in 2005 and #91 in 2006, according to the Social Security Administration. Cade is also popular, ranking #288 in 2006. It has not broken into the top 1000 as a feminine name. The name is also in the top names in Canada and Australia.

There are few famous Cadens. Caden Waidyatilleka (1994-) is a young actor, and is best known for his portrayal of the young Hurley on the television show "Lost." He also played in the film "Growing Up," and in various commercials. Doug Davidson, an actor from "The Young and the Restless," is the only known celebrity with a son named Caden. Keith Carraden, an actor, has a son named Cade.

Along with other top baby names, Caden is part of a growing trend known as the Aidan Rhyming Trend. Since the 1990's names rhyming with Aidan have repeatedly shown up in the top 100. Caden, along with Hayden, Jaden, Braden, and other spellings of the same rank high on both masculine and feminine popular baby name lists.

There are famous associations with the shortened name "Cade." Elsa Salazar Cade is an entomologist and educator. Jack Cade from the 15th century was an English rebel, Michael Cade (1973-) is an actor from the 1990's television series "California Dreams," and Robert Cade (1927-)invented Gatorade. Cade Skywalker is a fictional character from the "Star Wars: Legacy comic series."

Caden Lane is a line of designer baby and children's clothing and accessories. They also have a line of shoes under the Rockport brand. Caden Bioscience is a company that does scientific research. Caden is also a French commune in the Bretagne region of France. Residents of Caden (or Kaden) are called Cadenais. In 1999 the population of the village was just over 1400. There is also a brand of whiskey called Cadenhead.

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