Cates: Last Name and Heraldic Notes

What can public data say about the Cates family name? Quite a lot.

Where the name comes from

Local archives often hold baptisms and marriages that never reached online indexes. We don't publish a meaning for Cates without a reliable source. Our researchers work it out from the records of each family.

Similar names

The Census Bureau's 2010 surname file lists Cates with 18,190 bearers, at rank 1,984. Names that sound alike, such as Coates, Gates and Coats, are easily confused in old records.

Arms associated with the name

Sharing the Cates name is not the same as sharing a crest; arms were granted to individual families.

Get the complete Cates report, with a museum-style coat of arms.