Gaten last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Gaten is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gaten.

Meaning of Gaten

A surname derived from a place name referring to a small gate or entrance.

Gaten, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Gaten surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gaten in America

Gaten is the 103655th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gaten surname appeared 173 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gaten.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gaten to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 103655 118236 -13.14%
Count 173 136 23.95%
Proportion per 100k 0.06 0.05 18.18%

The history of the last name Gaten

The surname GATEN is believed to have originated in Germany, with its roots dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "gatan," which means "to join" or "to unite." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked as a joiner or a carpenter.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GATEN can be found in the town records of Cologne, Germany, from the year 1573. These records mention a "Hans Gaten," who was a carpenter by trade. Similar spellings of the name, such as "Gaten" and "Gatin," also appear in various church records from the same region during that time period.

In the 17th century, the GATEN name began to spread beyond the borders of Germany. Records from the Dutch East India Company mention a "Jacob Gaten" who was a ship's carpenter and sailed on voyages to the East Indies in the 1620s. This provides evidence of the name's association with the carpentry trade in those times.

The GATEN surname also found its way into historical records in other parts of Europe. In the late 18th century, a "Johann Gaten" was recorded as a master woodworker in the city of Vienna, Austria. Similarly, there are records of a "Pierre Gaten" who was a cabinet maker in Paris, France, in the early 19th century.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the GATEN surname include:

  1. Heinrich Gaten (1745-1822), a German architect known for his work on several churches and public buildings in Berlin.
  2. Anna Gaten (1803-1878), a German poet and author who wrote extensively about the life and culture of her native region.
  3. Wilhelm Gaten (1869-1944), a German engineer who played a significant role in the development of early automotive technology.
  4. Emilie Gaten (1892-1967), a Swiss painter and artist known for her landscapes and portraiture.
  5. Franz Gaten (1914-1995), an Austrian composer and musician who made notable contributions to the classical music scene in Vienna during the mid-20th century.

While the GATEN name may have originated from a humble trade, its bearers have left their mark across various fields and professions throughout the centuries, showcasing the diverse paths that this surname has taken.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gaten

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gaten.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gaten was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 15.61% 27
Non-Hispanic Black Only 81.50% 141
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gaten has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 15.61% 20.59% -27.51%
Black 81.50% 76.47% 6.37%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.00% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Gaten was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gaten, please contact us.

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"Gaten last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/gaten-surname-popularity/.

"Gaten last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/gaten-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Gaten last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/gaten-surname-popularity/.

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