Explore the Family Name Gates

The meaning of Gates

1. English: variant of Gate with plural or excrescent -s. The English surname Gate has three possible origins: (i) a topographic name from Middle English gate ‘gate’ (Old English geat, dative plural gatum), denoting someone who lived by a gate or set of gates (possibly sometimes an occupational name for a gate keeper; compre Yates); (ii) in northern England, the East Midlands, and East Anglia, a topographic name from Middle English gate ‘street, road, path’ (Old Norse gata) for someone who lived by a road (compare Street); (iii) a nickname meaning ‘goat’, from northern Middle English gate, gait (Old English gāt, Old Norse geitr). 2. Americanized form of German Götz (see Goetz). 3. Americanized form (translation into English) of French Barrière (see Barriere). History: In New England, Gates was the preferred English version of the name of an extensive French family, called Barrière dit Langevin. — Horatio Gates, a British military officer born in Maldon, England, c.1728, fought on the colonial side in the American Revolution, settled in VA after the war, and died in NY.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Gates in the United States?

Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Gates has seen some shifts in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Gates was ranked as the 607th most popular surname and this rank slightly decreased to 648 in 2010, representing a change of -6.75%. However, the count of people with this surname increased by 3.59% over the same period, from 50,748 in 2000 to 52,569 in 2010. The proportion of individuals with the surname Gates per 100,000 population also showed a decrease of -5.26%, moving from 18.81 in 2000 to 17.82 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#607#648-6.75%
Count50,74852,5693.59%
Proportion per 100k18.8117.82-5.26%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Gates

In terms of ethnic identity, the Gates surname saw varied changes within different groups based on the Decennial U.S. Census data. The largest increase was reported in the Hispanic ethnicity, with a rise of 56.58% from 1.52% in 2000 to 2.38% in 2010. The group identifying as two or more races also saw a significant increase of 38.26% within the same period. Meanwhile, the percentage of individuals identifying as White with the Gates surname showed a slight decrease of -2.71%, from 77.13% in 2000 to 75.04% in 2010. There were also small increases in the Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native categories.

20002010Change
White77.13%75.04%-2.71%
Black18.66%19.13%2.52%
Hispanic1.52%2.38%56.58%
Two or More Races1.49%2.06%38.26%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.71%0.76%7.04%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.48%0.62%29.17%

Gates ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Gates is British & Irish, which comprises 49.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (25.9%) and Eastern European (4.4%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Nigerian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish49.5%
French & German25.9%
Eastern European4.4%
Other20.2%
Gates

Possible origins of the surname Gates

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Gates have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom84.90%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom84.60%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom84.50%
Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom84.40%
West Midlands, United Kingdom84.30%

What Gates haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Gates is I-CTS4922, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-CTS4922 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include I-Z58 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Wiley, Cassidy, Stroud, Young, Willoughby, Fox, Smith, Thompson, Taylor, Johnson.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Gates surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

gatesPaternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Gates have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Gates

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Gates" Surname 38.0%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Gates

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Gates" Surname 25.1%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Gates

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Gates" Surname 18.6%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Gates

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Gates" Surname 18.2%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Gates?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Gates are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%