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

Margate, 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 Margate surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Margate in America

Margate is the 156044th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Margate surname appeared 104 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 Margate.

The history of the last name Margate

The surname Margate has its origins in the coastal town of Margate in Kent, England. The name is derived from the Old English words "mere" meaning "pool" or "lake" and "gatu" meaning "road" or "way". This suggests that the town's name, and by extension the surname, refers to a settlement located near a body of water with a path or road leading to it.

Margate is first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Meregate". This early spelling provides evidence of the name's etymology and its use as a place name in the late 11th century. The town's location on the Isle of Thanet, with its coastal position and proximity to the English Channel, likely contributed to the surname's adoption by families residing in the area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Margate can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Kent from 1195, which mention a William de Mergate. This indicates that the surname was in use by the late 12th century, derived from the place name Margate.

In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as "Margat", "Margatt", and "Marget", reflecting the evolving nature of English orthography at the time. Notable individuals bearing this surname include John Margat, a merchant from Margate mentioned in records from 1327, and William Marget, a landowner in Kent whose name appears in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1334.

During the 16th century, the surname was often spelled "Margett" or "Marget". One prominent figure from this period was Sir Peter Marget (1508-1581), a wealthy merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1570.

In the 17th century, the spelling "Margate" became more prevalent, reflecting the town's name. Notable individuals from this era include Captain Thomas Margate (1620-1689), a naval officer who fought in the Anglo-Dutch Wars, and Elizabeth Margate (1655-1722), a pioneering female author and poet from Kent.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the surname Margate continued to be associated with individuals from the coastal town and surrounding areas of Kent. Some notable figures include Admiral Sir John Margate (1745-1815), a celebrated naval commander during the Napoleonic Wars, and Emily Margate (1789-1862), a prominent philanthropist and social reformer from Margate.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Margate

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

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 Margate 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.

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Margate, 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!