Tate History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
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England
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Tate

What does the name Tate mean?

The Tate surname is generally thought to be derived from the Old Norse word "teitr," meaning "cheerful." According to the Venerable Bede, Tate was used as a nickname for Ethelberga daughter of Ethelbert, king of Kent. 1 Some sources suggest that its origins are quite distinct from the Old English roots of Tate.

Early Origins of the Tate family

The surname Tate was first found in Berwickshire an ancient county of Scotland, presently part of the Scottish Borders Council Area, located in the eastern part of the Borders Region of Scotland, where they held a family seat from early times. One of the first records of the name was Thomas dictus Tayt in 1329 who was listed as having a debt to the king at that time. There are several recorded instances of payments to a John Tayt, clerk of the hospital of Montrose, between 1362-70. Alexander Tayt was burgess of Edinburgh in 1381. Adam Tayte had a safe conduct to travel in England in 1424. 1

Early History of the Tate family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tate research. Another 164 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1100, 1381, 1424, 1432, 1490, 1492, 1531, 1567, 1575, 1597, 1605, 1626, 1652, 1666, 1692, 1715 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Tate History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tate Spelling Variations

A lack of rules and the tendency of scribes to spell according to the sound of the word plagued medieval spelling. Not surprisingly, an enormous number of spelling variations appeared. Tate has been written Tait, Tate, Tayte, Taite and others.

Early Notables of the Tate family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

Faithful Teate (c.1626-1666) Irish Protestant clergyman and poet from County Cavan, Ireland, sometimes known as Faithful Tate or Faithfull Teate

Tate World Ranking

In the United States, the name Tate is the 348^th most popular surname with an estimated 77,097 people with that name. 2 However, in New Zealand, the name Tate is ranked the 822^nd most popular surname with an estimated 891 people with that name. 3 And in the United Kingdom, the name Tate is the 733^rd popular surname with an estimated 9,176 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Tate family to Ireland

Some of the Tate family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tate migration to the United States +

Many Scots crossed the Atlantic for North America hoping to escape poverty, as well as persecution. Much of their heritage was lost along the way and overtime. This century, however, Clan societies and highland games have allowed many ancestral Scots to recover their birthright. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Tate arrived in North America very early:

Tate Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edward Tate, who settled in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630
Thomas Tate, aged 22, who settled in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Globe"

Tate Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Hester Tate, who landed in Virginia in 1705 5
George Tate, who arrived in New England in 1756 5

Tate Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alexander Tate, aged 22, who arrived in Maryland in 1812 5
Judge Tate, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1821 5
Elizabeth Tate, who arrived in New York in 1842 5
Frederick Tate, aged 3, who landed in New York, NY in 1847 5
Thomas Tate, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1848 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tate migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tate Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

James Tate, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1750
Rosa Tate, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750

Tate Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

James Tate, who landed in Canada in 1816
Mr. James Tate who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Julius Caesar" departing 13th July 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 5th September 1847 but he died on board 6
Mrs. Margaret Tate, aged 40 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Larch" departing 11th July 1847 from Sligo, Ireland; the ship arrived on 20th August 1847 but she died on board 6

Tate migration to Australia +

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

Tate Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Maria Tate, (b. 1773), aged 30, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life for coining, transported aboard the "Experiment" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Miss Maria Tate, (b. 1773), aged 31, English convict who was convicted in Midddlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 2nd January 1804, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. James Tate, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 13th March 1828, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Mr. Thomas Tate, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 27th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
John Tate, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Eliza" in 1840 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tate 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:

George Tate, aged 28, who arrived in New Plymouth aboard the ship "Phoebe Dunbar" between 1841 and 1850
Elizabeth Tate, aged 24, who arrived in New Plymouth aboard the ship "Phoebe Dunbar" between 1841 and 1850

Tate Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. John Tate, (b. 1837), aged 25, Irish farm labourer, from County Down travelling from London aboard the ship "Queen of Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 20th October 1862 12
Mary Jane Tate, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Telegraph" in 1863
John Tate, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Telegraph" in 1863
Miss Mary Ann Tate, (b. 1841), aged 22, English domestic servant from Staffordshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Tiptree" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 20th January 1864 12
James Tate, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Endymion" in 1873
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tate migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 13

Tate Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

James and Mary Tate, who settled in Barbados in 1635
Mr. James Tate, (b. 1618), aged 17, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Anne and Elizabeth" arriving in Barbados in 1635 14

Contemporary Notables of the name Tate (post 1700) +

Lars Jamel Tate (1966-2022), American professional NFL football running back who played for three seasons in the National Football League with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears from 1988 to 1990
Greg Tate (1957-2021), American writer, musician, and producer, a long-time critic for The Village Voice
Randall Lee "Randy" Tate (1952-2021), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the New York Mets in 1975
John Torrence Tate Jr. (1925-2019), American mathematician from Minneapolis, Minnesota who was awarded the Abel Prize in 2010
Skatemaster Tate (1959-2015), stage name of Gerry Hurtado, an American musician and a former television show host
Emory A. Tate Jr. (1958-2015), American International Master of chess
James Vincent Tate (1943-2015), American poet awarded the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
Albert Tate Jr. (1920-1986), American judge with the Louisiana Supreme Court (1958)
Sharon Marie Tate (1943-1969), American actress murdered in her home, along with four others, by followers of Charles Manson
James Hugh Joseph Tate (1910-1983), American politician, mayor of Philadelphia from 1962 and 1972
... (Another 55 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Tate family +

HMS Royal Oak

William Tate (1916-1939), British Stoker 1st Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died due to wounds from the sinking 15

Sources +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"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 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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 97)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/experiment
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ELIZA 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Eliza.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.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