Yates

At a Glance: Name: Yates – Meaning: one who lived by a gate – Origin: English (surname) – Gender: primarily used for boys

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Yates comes from an English surname for someone who lived by a gate. You may have heard it explained as "keeper of the gate," but that's a bit of a stretch — the name just marked where a person lived, not a job they had. It's also a name with a long history in U.S. birth records, tracked by the Social Security Administration from 1914 through 2024.

Meaning & Origin of Yates

Meaning: One who lived by a gate.

Origin: English (surname).

A common claim: sometimes glossed as 'keeper of the gate' Actually: The surname described someone who lived near a gate, not necessarily its keeper.

Source: Wiktionary.

Popularity of Yates

Yates hit its highest point in 1923, ranking #2121 with 16 babies given the name that year, and in 2024 it ranked #5866 — also with 16 babies — showing it's held steady as a rare choice for a century rather than surging or fading.

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1914–2024.

Make Yates Name Art

Free printable nursery art for Yates, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.

Names With a Similar Story

Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.

• Marvella
• Nicoletta
• Cayetana
• Paulino
• Vilma
• Millan

FAQ

What does the name Yates mean?

One who lived by a gate. (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Yates)

Is Yates a popular name right now?

Yates peaked at #2121 in 1923 and is ranked #5866 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1914–2024.)

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