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

Kates, 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 Kates surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kates in America

Kates is the 7284th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kates surname appeared 4,574 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Kates.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kates 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.

The history of the last name Kates

The surname Kates has its origins in England, tracing back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the medieval personal name "Kate," a diminutive form of the name "Catherine." The name Catherine itself is of Greek origin, meaning "pure" or "clear."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kates can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1195, where it appears as "Kath." This document lists individuals who paid taxes or fees to the Crown. It is likely that the surname emerged as a means of identifying individuals by their given name or that of a parent or ancestor.

In the 13th century, the name Kates appeared in various forms, such as "Kat" and "Katte," in various records across England, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273. These rolls were surveys of landholdings and population records commissioned by King Edward I.

During the 14th century, the surname Kates began to take on its more modern spelling, appearing in records like the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield from 1317. This suggests that the name had become more established as a hereditary surname by this time.

One notable figure in history with the surname Kates was William Kates, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London in the late 15th century. He is mentioned in various historical records from the period, including the City of London's Letter Books.

Another individual of note was John Kates, born in 1520, who served as a member of the English Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He represented the borough of Stockbridge in Hampshire and played a role in shaping the laws and policies of the time.

In the 17th century, the Kates surname can be found in various parish records across England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Lincolnshire. One example is Thomas Kates, born in 1634 in Wakefield, Yorkshire, who was a prominent landowner and farmer in the region.

The 18th century saw the birth of Robert Kates, a notable English sailor and explorer. Born in 1725 in Bristol, he participated in several voyages of discovery, including Captain James Cook's second voyage to the Pacific between 1772 and 1775.

In the 19th century, the Kates surname spread further across the British Empire as people emigrated to various colonies and territories. For instance, William Kates, born in 1812 in London, was a successful businessman who established a trading company in India during the British Raj.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kates

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

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 Kates was:

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 Kates has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Kates was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!