Gates

♂ Boy

Pronounced GAYTS /ˈɡeɪts/High

Meaning: English surname for someone who lived by the gates of a town or castle, from Old English geatHigh

In 30 seconds: A name that guards the threshold: Gates marked the medieval family living by the town gate. Today it carries software-mogul shine and prep-school brevity.

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Origin HighEnglish

MeaningEnglish surname for someone who lived by the gates of a town or castle, from Old English geat

U.S. rank (2025)#4759 ↘ Falling

2025 U.S. births21 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year2024

Total births (all-time)≈ 455

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Gates is an English surname for the dweller by the gates — Old English geat — of a walled town or castle, the household everyone passed coming and going. American history seats General Horatio Gates at Saratoga; American business seats Bill Gates everywhere else.

As a given name it surfaced in the surname-forward preppy lane (a young NCIS-era of Brooks-and-Sutton naming) and remains very rare. One syllable, instantly spellable, faintly tycoonish.

Did you know? Before Bill Gates, the name's most famous American was Horatio Gates — the Revolutionary general who accepted the British surrender at Saratoga.

Overall data confidence 85%

Dictionary of American Family Names — Gates — surname origin

Variations

GateGatesy

Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

★Gates McFadden (1949-)
American actress known for Star Trek: The Next Generation

If you like Gates…

Wells— a fellow plural-sounding English surname pick

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Brooks— another one-syllable prep-school favorite

Ford— shares the threshold-and-crossing imagery

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Gates mean?

Gates is an English surname for someone who lived by a town or castle gate, from Old English geat.

How do you pronounce Gates?

It's said GAYTS /ˈɡeɪts/ — a single syllable.

Is Gates a boy or girl name?

Gates is used mainly as a boy's name.

How popular is Gates?

Gates is a very rare given name in the U.S.