2000
#8,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,790
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.40
Rare Last name
Kates
Derived from a pet form of the Greek name Katherine, meaning "pure."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,133 Americans carry the last name Kates. That puts it at #8,735 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,931 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kates 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 Kates with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 82,931
Census rank
#8,735
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,604 bearers of the surname Kates in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8735th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kates, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (24.7%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kates
Among Census respondents with the surname Kates, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (24.7%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kates 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 Kates surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.4% · 2,358
- Black or African American24.7% · 889
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 175
- Two or more races4.0% · 143
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kates
Kates 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
#7,284
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,574
+784 bearers (+20.7%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Up 780 places
2020
#8,735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,604
-970 bearers (-21.2%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 1,451 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,064 | 3,790 | 1.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,284 | 4,574 | 1.55 | +784 bearers (+20.7%) | Up 780 places |
| 2020 | #8,735 | 3,604 | 1.21 | -970 bearers (-21.2%) | Down 1,451 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 Kates 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 | #7,284 | #8,735 | -19.9% |
| Count | 4,574 | 3,604 | -21.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.55 | 1.21 | -22.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kates bearers went from 4,574 to 3,604 (-21.2% change). The surname moved down 1,451 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,284 to #8,735.
FAQ
Kates surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kates?
Name Census estimates that about 4,133 living Americans carry the surname Kates. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,931 residents.
How common is Kates?
Kates ranks #8,735 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.21 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 3,604 people with the surname Kates. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.21 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 Kates.
Has Kates become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kates went from 4,574 recorded bearers to 3,604. That is a decrease of 970 (-21.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,284 to #8,735.
What does the Census say about the background of Kates?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kates, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (24.7%) and Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Kates in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.4% (2,358 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kates appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.4%), Black (24.7%), Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Kates (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 Kates mean?
Derived from a pet form of the Greek name Katherine, meaning "pure." 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 Kates (1.21 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 Kates?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.