Jude, the English form of the name Judah or Judas is mostly a masculine name however, it has also become more popular among the female gender as a form of Judith.

Its origin is Hebrew coming from the name Yehuda, who was a patriarch of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The meaning of Jude is give praise or thanks and sweetness or gentleness of character. The Jude name is also highly referenced to St. Jude Thaddeus, patron saint of lost or impossible causes, hospitals and hospital workers.

Jude has been used in England since the 16th century, though it was not particularly common at that time. The popularity of Jude has however greatly increased, becoming the 71st most popular name in 2013 as reported by the official ONS list in England and Wales.

The popularity of Jude became more evident upon the rise in fame of actor Jude Law in 2003. Other recognition of the name is The St. Jude Children’s Hospital and in the Beatles song “Hey Jude” which was the nickname Paul McCartney gave to Julian Lennon and wrote the hit song about.