2000
#12,471
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,283
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Scates
Derived from the Old Norse personal name "Skaði," meaning "damage, harm," or possibly referring to a Scandinavian settler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,455 Americans carry the last name Scates. That puts it at #13,564 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,615 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scates 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 Scates with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 139,615
Census rank
#13,564
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,141 bearers of the surname Scates in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13564th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scates, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.1%. The next largest groups are Black (20.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Scates
The surname Scates has its origins in the British Isles, particularly in England, and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "sceat," which means "a corner or angle of land." This suggests that the name may have been initially used to identify someone who lived near a particular corner or angle of land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Scates can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex, England, from 1296, where a person named William Scates is mentioned. This record provides evidence of the name's existence and usage during the late 13th century in the county of Sussex.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Skattes and Skattes, in the Hundredorum Rolls of Norfolk, England, dated 1273. These rolls were records of landholders and their holdings, indicating that individuals with this surname were likely landowners during that period.
The Scates surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England. For instance, in the 16th century, there was a record of a place called "Scates Farm" in the parish of Westbourne, Sussex. This further reinforces the connection between the surname and its potential origins as a descriptor of a specific location or landholding.
Notable individuals with the surname Scates throughout history include:
1. John Scates (c. 1590-1670), an English landowner and farmer from Gloucestershire, who was mentioned in local parish records.
2. William Scates (c. 1620-1685), a merchant and trader from London, who was involved in the East India Company's trade with India and the Far East.
3. Elizabeth Scates (c. 1650-1720), an English playwright and poet, whose works were published in the late 17th century.
4. Thomas Scates (c. 1710-1780), a renowned clockmaker from Yorkshire, England, whose clocks were highly sought after by aristocratic families during his lifetime.
5. Samuel Scates (c. 1780-1845), an English botanist and naturalist, who contributed to the study of flora and fauna in the British Isles and published several works on the subject.
The surname Scates has endured over centuries and continues to be found in various parts of the world, particularly in countries with historical ties to the British Isles. Its origins and association with land and place names provide an intriguing insight into the lives and identities of those who bore this surname throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scates
Among Census respondents with the surname Scates, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.1%. The next largest groups are Black (20.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Scates 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 Scates surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.1% · 1,500
- Black or African American20.0% · 429
- Two or more races5.0% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 72
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scates
Scates 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
#13,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,271
-12 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 947 places
2020
#13,564
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,141
-130 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 146 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,471 | 2,283 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,418 | 2,271 | 0.77 | -12 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 947 places |
| 2020 | #13,564 | 2,141 | 0.72 | -130 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 146 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 Scates 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 | #13,418 | #13,564 | -1.1% |
| Count | 2,271 | 2,141 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.72 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scates bearers went from 2,271 to 2,141 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 146 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,418 to #13,564.
FAQ
Scates surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scates?
Name Census estimates that about 2,455 living Americans carry the surname Scates. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,615 residents.
How common is Scates?
Scates ranks #13,564 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,141 people with the surname Scates. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,455), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Scates.
Has Scates become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scates went from 2,271 recorded bearers to 2,141. That is a decrease of 130 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,418 to #13,564.
What does the Census say about the background of Scates?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scates, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.1%. The next largest groups are Black (20.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Scates in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.1% (1,500 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scates appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.1%), Black (20.0%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Scates (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 Scates mean?
Derived from the Old Norse personal name "Skaði," meaning "damage, harm," or possibly referring to a Scandinavian settler. 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 Scates (0.72 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 common is the surname Scates?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Scates? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.