2000
#2,914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,346
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.21
Uncommon Last name
Oates
Derived from the Middle English word "oats," referring to someone who grew, sold, or processed oats.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,706 Americans carry the last name Oates. That puts it at #3,417 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,280 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oates 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 Oates with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 29,280
Census rank
#3,417
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,208 bearers of the surname Oates in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3417th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oates, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.4%. The next largest groups are Black (29.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oates
The surname Oates is of English origin and can be traced back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "aten," which means oats, indicating that the name likely referred to someone who grew or dealt with oats. Some variations of the name include Oat, Oates, Otes, and Oatts.
The surname is found in early records such as the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Otes" and "Ode." This suggests that the name was already established in various parts of England by the 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was William Oates, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1199. In the 13th century, the name appears in various spellings, including Otes and Otes, in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire from 1273.
The surname Oates is also associated with several place names in England, such as Oatlands in Surrey and Oathill in Somerset. These place names may have influenced the surname or vice versa, reflecting the connection between the name and the cultivation of oats.
Notable individuals with the surname Oates include:
1. Titus Oates (1649-1705), an English perjurer who fabricated the "Popish Plot" against King Charles II in 1678, leading to the execution of several innocent people.
2. Sir Frank Oates (1840-1875), a British explorer and naturalist who led several expeditions to Central Africa and was killed by a wounded elephant in present-day Mozambique.
3. Joyce Carol Oates (born 1938), an American writer known for her novels, short stories, and literary criticism, and a recipient of the National Book Award and the O. Henry Award.
4. Warren Oates (1928-1982), an American actor known for his roles in films such as "The Wild Bunch" and "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia."
5. Lawrence Oates (1880-1912), a British army officer and Antarctic explorer who famously sacrificed himself during Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition to the South Pole in 1912.
The surname Oates continues to be prevalent in various English-speaking countries, reflecting its long history and enduring legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oates
Among Census respondents with the surname Oates, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.4%. The next largest groups are Black (29.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Oates 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 Oates surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.4% · 6,369
- Black or African American29.1% · 2,972
- Two or more races4.2% · 424
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 344
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 48
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oates
Oates 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
#2,940
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,202
+856 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 4.14
Rank movement Down 26 places
2020
#3,417
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,208
-1,994 bearers (-16.3%)
Per 100,000 3.42
Rank movement Down 477 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,914 | 11,346 | 4.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,940 | 12,202 | 4.14 | +856 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 26 places |
| 2020 | #3,417 | 10,208 | 3.42 | -1,994 bearers (-16.3%) | Down 477 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 Oates 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 | #2,940 | #3,417 | -16.2% |
| Count | 12,202 | 10,208 | -16.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.14 | 3.42 | -17.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oates bearers went from 12,202 to 10,208 (-16.3% change). The surname moved down 477 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,940 to #3,417.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Oates
FAQ
Oates surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oates?
Name Census estimates that about 11,706 living Americans carry the surname Oates. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,280 residents.
How common is Oates?
Oates ranks #3,417 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.42 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,208 people with the surname Oates. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,706), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.42 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Oates.
Has Oates become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oates went from 12,202 recorded bearers to 10,208. That is a decrease of 1,994 (-16.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,940 to #3,417.
What does the Census say about the background of Oates?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oates, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.4%. The next largest groups are Black (29.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Oates in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.4% (6,369 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oates appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.4%), Black (29.1%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Oates (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 Oates mean?
Derived from the Middle English word "oats," referring to someone who grew, sold, or processed oats. 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 Oates (3.42 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 Oates?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.