Contents [hide]

Yates History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Yates History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The Yates name comes from the old English "geat," and was probably first used as a name for a keeper of a gate.

Early Origins of the Yates family

The surname Yates was first found in Gloucestershire, England where they were first on record in 1198. The name spread throughout England and Scotland, and possibly arrived in Ireland in the wake of the Norman invasion of 1172. Bearers of this name definitely came from Britain to Ireland with Cromwell's Adventurers for Land in the 17th century.

"The famous family of Yeats, which had formerly been in Dublin, settled in Co. Sligo at the end of the seventeenth century. There are a number of families of Yates and Yeates elsewhere unconnected with them. " 1

Early History of the Yates family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Yates research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1675, 1712, 1839 and 1922 are included under the topic Early Yates History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Yates Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Yates, Yate, Yeats and others.

Early Notables of the Yates family

More information is included under the topic Early Yates Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Yates World Ranking

In the United States, the name Yates is the 388^th most popular surname with an estimated 72,123 people with that name. 2 However, in Australia, the name Yates is ranked the 374^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,842 people with that name. 3 And in New Zealand, the name Yates is the 349^th popular surname with an estimated 1,818 people with that name. 4 The United Kingdom ranks Yates as 212^nd with 27,042 people. 5

Yates migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Yates Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edward Yates, aged 18, who landed in Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship "Dutie" 6
Kat Yates, aged 19, who arrived in Virginia in 1634 aboard the ship "Bonaventure" coming via St. Domingo 6
Mr. John Yates, aged 20, from England who arrived in Virginia aboard the ship "America" arriving in June 1635 6
Jo Yates, aged 48, who arrived in Bermuda, (Somers Islands) in 1635 aboard the ship "Truelove" 6
Robert Yates, aged 25, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Globe" 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Yates Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Eliz Yates, who landed in Virginia in 1703 6
Eliza Yates, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 6
Bartholomew Yates, who arrived in Virginia in 1737 6

Yates Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charles Yates, who landed in Virginia in 1807 6
Samuel Yates, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1820
Andrew Q Yates, who landed in Texas in 1835 6
T H Yates, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1838 6
G E Yates, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Yates Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Robert Morrell Yates, who arrived in Alabama in 1911 6
Mr. Alfred Yates, aged 17, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863
Miss Elizabeth Yates, aged 7, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863
Mr. John Yates, aged 6, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863
Mr. John Yates, aged 27, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Yates migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Yates Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Yates who settled in Scilly Cove, Newfoundland, in 1708 7
Charles Yates, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749

Yates Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

William Yates was a Carpenter at Twillingate, Newfoundland, in 1817 7
Isaac Yates, who landed in Canada in 1830

Yates migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Yates Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Miss Ann Yates, (b. 1763), aged 35, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Britannia III" on 18th July 1798, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1810 in Peru 8

Yates Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Sarah Yates, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" in March 1810, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. Edward John Yates, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Earl Spencer" in May 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. James Yates, British Convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Batavia" in October 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. John Yates, British Convict who was convicted in London, England for life, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 20th April 1826, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
Mr. Samuel Yates, English convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 25th June 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Yates migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Yates Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Francis T Yates, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
John Yates, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841 aboard the ship Antilla
Mr. Yates, British settler travelling from Cape of Good Hope, South Africa aboard the ship "Antilla" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 8th December 1841 14
John Yates, aged 33, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
Jane Yates, aged 31, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Yates (post 1700) +

Wayne Edward Yates (1937-2022), American professional NBA basketball player from Gurdon, Arkansas who played 37 games for the Los Angeles Lakers (1961-1962)
Earl Preston "Buddy" Yates (1923-2021), American rear admiral in the United States Navy, the first commanding officer of the USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), known then as CVA-67
Tony Yates (1937-2020), American college basketball player and head coach for the Cincinnati Bearcats
John Phillip Yates (1921-2017), American Republican politician, Member of the Georgia House of Representatives (1993-2017)
Robert Yates (1943-2017), American NASCAR engine builder and former owner of the Sprint Cup Series team Yates Racing
Brock Yates (1933-2016), American journalist, author and executive editor of Car and Driver
Sally Quillian Yates (b. 1960), American lawyer, United States Deputy Attorney General (2015-2017), United States Attorney General (2017)
Cassie Yates (b. 1951), American actress, known for her roles in Convoy (1978), The Osterman Weekend (1983) and F.I.S.T. (1978)
Tyler Kali Yates (b. 1977), American Major League Baseball pitcher
Herbert John Yates (1880-1966), American founder and president of Republic Pictures in 1935
... (Another 92 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Yates family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. Harry Yates (1893-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 15
Mrs. Mary A Yates (1893-1914), née Taylor Canadian Second Class Passenger from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 15

Halifax Explosion

Mrs. Susie Yates (1888-1917), Canadian resident from Waverly, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 16
Mr. George Roley Yates (1895-1917), American Stoker aboard the HMCS Niobe from Kansas, USA who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 16

HMS Hood

Mr. Robert G Yates (b. 1907), English Boatswain serving for the Royal Navy from Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 17

HMS Royal Oak

John Albert Yates (1922-1939), British Boy 1st Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 18

USS Arizona

Mr. Elmer Elias Yates, American Ship's Cook Third Class from Nebraska, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 19

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Britannia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-spencer
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/batavia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html