2000
#15,408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,747
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.65
Rare Last name
Bate
An English occupational surname referring to a coppersmith or metalworker, derived from the Middle English word "bate."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,092 Americans carry the last name Bate. That puts it at #15,465 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,841 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bate surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bate with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 163,841
Census rank
#15,465
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,824 bearers of the surname Bate in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15465th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bate, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bate
The surname BATE is of English origin, deriving from various locations and placenames in England and Scotland. It likely emerged as an occupational surname in the 12th or 13th century, referring to someone who lived near a small valley or hollow.
The name BATE is believed to have originated from the Old English word "bat," meaning a hollow or valley. It was often used as a placename suffix, such as in Battenhall, Worcestershire, or Battersea in London, which means "Batte's island."
In the Domesday Book of 1086, the surname is recorded as "Bate" and "Batte," referring to landowners and tenants in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is Thomas Bate, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1191. Another early bearer was William de Bate, recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273.
Notable historical figures with the surname BATE include George Bate (1608-1668), an English writer and clergyman; Henry Bate (1695-1773), a Welsh physician and author; and John Bate (1775-1859), an English artist and engraver.
In Scotland, the name BATE is found in various spellings, such as Bait, Bate, and Baitt. One prominent Scottish figure was William Bate (c. 1625-1699), a Presbyterian minister and theologian who wrote extensively on church government and religious matters.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Henry Bate Dudley (1745-1824), an English clergyman and author who published works on botany and natural history.
The surname BATE has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Bate's Green in Suffolk, Bate's Croft in Gloucestershire, and Bate's Farm in Oxfordshire, reflecting the surname's geographical origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bate
Among Census respondents with the surname Bate, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Bate bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bate surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.0% · 1,441
- Black or African American8.1% · 147
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 92
- Two or more races5.0% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bate
Bate appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#14,881
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,988
+241 bearers (+13.8%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 527 places
2020
#15,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,824
-164 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 584 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,408 | 1,747 | 0.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,881 | 1,988 | 0.67 | +241 bearers (+13.8%) | Up 527 places |
| 2020 | #15,465 | 1,824 | 0.61 | -164 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 584 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bate surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #14,881 | #15,465 | -3.9% |
| Count | 1,988 | 1,824 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.61 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bate bearers went from 1,988 to 1,824 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 584 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,881 to #15,465.
FAQ
Bate surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bate?
Name Census estimates that about 2,092 living Americans carry the surname Bate. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,841 residents.
How common is Bate?
Bate ranks #15,465 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,824 people with the surname Bate. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,092), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bate.
Has Bate become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bate went from 1,988 recorded bearers to 1,824. That is a decrease of 164 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,881 to #15,465.
What does the Census say about the background of Bate?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bate, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Hispanic (5.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bate in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.0% (1,441 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bate appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.0%), Black (8.1%), Hispanic (5.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bate (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bate mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a coppersmith or metalworker, derived from the Middle English word "bate." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bate (0.61 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Bate?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.