Bates (surname)


Bates is a common surname of English origin and is derived from the name Bartholomew. The name could also originate from the Old English "Bat", meaning "Boat", as used to identify a person whose occupation was boatman. Another origin is that which means "lush pasture", describing someone who lived near such a place.
At the time of the British Census of 1881, the relative frequency of the surname Bates was highest in Buckinghamshire, followed by Leicestershire, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Huntingdonshire, Cambridgeshire and Oxfordshire.
Etymology of the word sets in with suffix -bate, e.g. rebate, also observed with abatement. As well found in forms like probation, describing corresponding change, and thus debate, surrounding centrifuges of context.

Notable people

A–D

E–J

K–R

S–Z

Fictional characters

  • Bates (Stargate), a character in Stargate
  • Kid Marvelman, a Marvel Comics character whose original name was Johnny Bates
  • Eric, U.S. and Fancy Bates, characters in the 1982 film The Toy
  • John Bates, a character from Downton Abbey, married to Anna
  • Anna Bates, a character from Downton Abbey, married to John
  • Joshua T. Bates, a character of Susan Shreve
  • Nigel Bates, a character from the soap opera EastEnders
  • Norman Bates, a character from the 1960 film Psycho
  • Paul Bates, a character in the 2011 fantasy comedy movie Midnight in Paris
  • Tom, Amy, and Pattie Bates, characters in Dennis Potter's play ''Brimstone and Treacle''