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

Oats, 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 Oats surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Oats in America

Oats is the 21307th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Oats surname appeared 1,230 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 Oats.

We can also compare 2010 data for Oats 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 Oats

The surname OATS is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word 'ata' meaning oats, the cereal grain. It is believed to have originated as an occupational name for someone who worked with oats, perhaps a farmer or miller.

The name first appeared in records during the 12th century, with one of the earliest recorded instances being William Otes, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1176. Another early example is Roger Otes, listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1212.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several references to places with names derived from 'ata,' such as Otehulle in Gloucestershire and Otringebi in Lincolnshire, suggesting the name's ancient roots in England.

The surname OATS has seen various spellings throughout history, including Otes, Ottes, Otte, and Otts. Some of these variations may have been influenced by place names like Otterburn in Northumberland or Ottery St. Mary in Devon.

Notable historical figures with the surname OATS include Sir Samuel Oates (1615-1683), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London from 1682 to 1683. Another prominent individual was Titus Oates (1649-1705), an English clergyman and controversial figure involved in the Popish Plot allegations of the late 17th century.

In the 18th century, John Oates (1726-1799) was a renowned English agriculturist and writer on agricultural topics. Later, Robert Oates (1809-1887) was a distinguished English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London.

One of the most famous bearers of the OATS surname was the American actor John Oates, born in 1949, best known for his partnership with Daryl Hall in the acclaimed music duo Hall & Oates.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Oats

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

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

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

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