2000
#11,299
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,566
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Gately
Derived from a place name meaning "goat meadow" or "gate clearing" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,762 Americans carry the last name Gately. That puts it at #12,324 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 124,096 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gately 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 Gately with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 124,096
Census rank
#12,324
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,409 bearers of the surname Gately in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12324th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gately, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gately
The surname Gately is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic name O'Geidheallaidh, which means "descendant of the wild Irishman." The name is believed to have originated in County Sligo, Ireland, in the 12th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gately can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle of medieval Irish history written by Franciscan friars in the 17th century. It mentions a Giolla Iosa O'Geidheallaidh, who was a member of the clergy in the 14th century.
The name Gately is also found in the Irish Fiants, which are official records of letters patent issued by the English government in Ireland during the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1604, a John Gately is mentioned as receiving a grant of land in County Sligo.
In the 19th century, the Gately surname was well-established in County Sligo and neighboring counties in the west of Ireland. Notable individuals with this surname include Patrick Gately (1789-1857), an Irish-born Catholic priest who served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Rapides in Louisiana, USA.
Another prominent figure was John Gately (1835-1908), an Irish-born lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons representing the riding of Northumberland West in Ontario from 1887 to 1896.
In the literary world, Thomas Gately (1819-1899) was an Irish-born American author and journalist who wrote several historical novels and biographies, including a biography of the Irish patriot Robert Emmet.
Edward Gately (1872-1942) was an American architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the Church of St. Paul the Apostle and the New York County Courthouse.
Finally, James Gately (1915-2005) was an American actor who appeared in numerous films and television shows, including The Untouchables and The Twilight Zone.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gately
Among Census respondents with the surname Gately, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gately 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 Gately surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 2,219
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 85
- Two or more races2.9% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gately
Gately 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
#12,012
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,599
+33 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 713 places
2020
#12,324
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,409
-190 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 312 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,299 | 2,566 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,012 | 2,599 | 0.88 | +33 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 713 places |
| 2020 | #12,324 | 2,409 | 0.81 | -190 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 312 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 Gately 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 | #12,012 | #12,324 | -2.6% |
| Count | 2,599 | 2,409 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.81 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gately bearers went from 2,599 to 2,409 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 312 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,012 to #12,324.
FAQ
Gately surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gately?
Name Census estimates that about 2,762 living Americans carry the surname Gately. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 124,096 residents.
How common is Gately?
Gately ranks #12,324 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 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 2,409 people with the surname Gately. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,762), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 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 Gately.
Has Gately become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gately went from 2,599 recorded bearers to 2,409. That is a decrease of 190 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,012 to #12,324.
What does the Census say about the background of Gately?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gately, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Gately in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (2,219 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gately appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Gately (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 Gately mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "goat meadow" or "gate clearing" in Old English. 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 Gately (0.81 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 people have the surname Gately?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.