Tad

Tad is a boy's baby name of Aramaic origin, a diminutive of Thaddeus, from the Aramaic Thaddai, meaning 'heart' or 'courageous heart' — the nickname that became a given name in its own right, carrying the apostle's heritage in a compact, approachable form.

With over 6,918 recorded births, Tad peaked in American popularity in the 1960s-70s as a breezy, masculine given name. Thaddaeus was one of the twelve apostles (also called Judas of James), and Tad distills that heritage into a name that feels completely American and unassuming. Tad Lincoln (Thomas Lincoln, 1853–1871), the youngest son of Abraham Lincoln, was one of the Civil War era's most famous children — his playful spirit in the White House was well documented.