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Tate Family History

Tate Surname Meaning

English (northern):: from an unrecorded Middle English personal name Tate (Old English Tāta from tāt ‘happy’).

Usually a variant of Tait.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Tate family from?

You can see how Tate families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Tate family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Tate families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 95 Tate families living in Virginia. This was about 15% of all the recorded Tate's in USA. Virginia had the highest population of Tate families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Tate surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Tate ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Tate. 20% of Tate men worked as a Farmer and 9% of Tate women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Tate were Farm Laborer and Teacher.

View Census Data for Tate | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    20%
  • Laborer
    19%
  • Salesman
    4%
  • Farm Laborer
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    9%
  • Cook
    7%
  • Housewife
    6%
  • Teacher
    5%

What Tate family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 329,000 census records available for the last name Tate. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Tate census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Tate

Passenger Lists

There are 22,000 immigration records available for the last name Tate. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Tate immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 70,000 military records available for the last name Tate. For the veterans among your Tate ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Tate military records

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