Given name & surname
Bates
“son of Talmai”·“the son of the farmer”
Bates is a variant of Bartholomew. Interpretations include “son of Talmai” and “the son of the farmer” (Aramaic). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Bates is a variant of Bartholomew. Interpretations include “son of Talmai” and “the son of the farmer” (Aramaic). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Bates is a variant of Bartholomew. An origin associated with Bartholomew is Aramaic.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1919. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Bates through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 158
- 158 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2014
- 17 babies
- 2025
- 7
- #9,828 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +23%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 9,828 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 17 in 2014. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 233 as a first name in 2020; 91,057 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Bates’s family of names
In English usage, Bates as a surname has a nickname in BATESY. Bates has a related form in Bartholomew. In English usage, Bates has a related form in BATTS.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Bates
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Bates, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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