NameCensus.

UK surname

Oates

Derived from the Middle English word "oats," referring to someone who grew, sold, or processed oats.

In the 1881 census there were 4,568 people recorded with the Oates surname, ranking it #979 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 5,602, ranked #1,194, down from #979 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Mirfield, Halifax and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Barnsley, Bradford and Cornwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Oates is 5,929 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 22.6%.

1881 census count

4,568

Ranked #979

Modern count

5,602

2016, ranked #1,194

Peak year

1911

5,929 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Oates had 4,568 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #979 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 5,602 in 2016, ranked #1,194.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,929 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Oates surname distribution map

The map shows where the Oates surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Oates surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Oates over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 2,760 #1,062
1861 historical 2,352 #1,248
1881 historical 4,568 #979
1891 historical 4,371 #1,084
1901 historical 5,561 #1,003
1911 historical 5,929 #873
1997 modern 5,630 #1,157
1998 modern 5,795 #1,168
1999 modern 5,801 #1,178
2000 modern 5,770 #1,171
2001 modern 5,637 #1,177
2002 modern 5,720 #1,183
2003 modern 5,596 #1,177
2004 modern 5,565 #1,179
2005 modern 5,463 #1,182
2006 modern 5,439 #1,191
2007 modern 5,471 #1,192
2008 modern 5,533 #1,186
2009 modern 5,687 #1,182
2010 modern 5,768 #1,197
2011 modern 5,716 #1,184
2012 modern 5,639 #1,175
2013 modern 5,733 #1,179
2014 modern 5,736 #1,187
2015 modern 5,692 #1,187
2016 modern 5,602 #1,194

Geography

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Where Oates' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Mirfield, Halifax, London parishes, Bradford and Sheffield. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Barnsley, Bradford and Cornwall. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Mirfield Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
3 London parishes London 3
4 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Barnsley 024 Barnsley
2 Bradford 059 Bradford
3 Barnsley 030 Barnsley
4 Cornwall 053 Cornwall
5 Cornwall 061 Cornwall

Forenames

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First names often paired with Oates

These lists show first names that appear often with the Oates surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Oates

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Oates, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Oates surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Oates household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Oates is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Oates is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Oates falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Oates is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Oates, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Oates

The surname Oates is of English origin and can be traced back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "aten," which means oats, indicating that the name likely referred to someone who grew or dealt with oats. Some variations of the name include Oat, Oates, Otes, and Oatts.

The surname is found in early records such as the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Otes" and "Ode." This suggests that the name was already established in various parts of England by the 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was William Oates, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1199. In the 13th century, the name appears in various spellings, including Otes and Otes, in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire from 1273.

The surname Oates is also associated with several place names in England, such as Oatlands in Surrey and Oathill in Somerset. These place names may have influenced the surname or vice versa, reflecting the connection between the name and the cultivation of oats.

Notable individuals with the surname Oates include:

1. Titus Oates (1649-1705), an English perjurer who fabricated the "Popish Plot" against King Charles II in 1678, leading to the execution of several innocent people.

2. Sir Frank Oates (1840-1875), a British explorer and naturalist who led several expeditions to Central Africa and was killed by a wounded elephant in present-day Mozambique.

3. Joyce Carol Oates (born 1938), an American writer known for her novels, short stories, and literary criticism, and a recipient of the National Book Award and the O. Henry Award.

4. Warren Oates (1928-1982), an American actor known for his roles in films such as "The Wild Bunch" and "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia."

5. Lawrence Oates (1880-1912), a British army officer and Antarctic explorer who famously sacrificed himself during Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition to the South Pole in 1912.

The surname Oates continues to be prevalent in various English-speaking countries, reflecting its long history and enduring legacy.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Oates families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Oates surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 2,038 Oates' recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.52x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 2,038 4.52x
Lancashire 629 1.16x
Cornwall 312 6.05x
Durham 214 1.58x
Middlesex 204 0.45x
Cheshire 133 1.32x
Lincolnshire 105 1.44x
Derbyshire 96 1.35x
Isle of Man 90 10.65x
Nottinghamshire 83 1.35x
Hampshire 69 0.74x
Staffordshire 67 0.44x
Surrey 66 0.30x
Northumberland 65 0.96x
Devon 58 0.61x
Cumberland 42 1.07x
Dorset 38 1.27x
Kent 36 0.23x
Warwickshire 32 0.28x
Essex 30 0.33x
Gloucestershire 28 0.31x
Worcestershire 23 0.39x
Berkshire 21 0.61x
Somerset 21 0.29x
Angus 17 0.40x
Lanarkshire 17 0.12x
Glamorgan 16 0.20x
Cambridgeshire 13 0.45x
Suffolk 13 0.23x
Northamptonshire 11 0.26x
Renfrewshire 9 0.26x
Monmouthshire 8 0.24x
Wiltshire 7 0.17x
Fife 6 0.22x
Oxfordshire 6 0.21x
Royal Navy 6 1.11x
Channel Islands 5 0.37x
Midlothian 5 0.08x
Ayrshire 4 0.12x
Bedfordshire 4 0.17x
Hertfordshire 3 0.10x
Roxburghshire 3 0.36x
Sussex 3 0.04x
Denbighshire 2 0.12x
Leicestershire 2 0.04x
Norfolk 2 0.03x
Westmorland 2 0.20x
Argyllshire 1 0.08x
Dunbartonshire 1 0.08x
Flintshire 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 159 Oates' recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.24x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 159 6.24x
Mirfield 139 56.12x
Sheffield 115 8.01x
Nether Hallam 84 13.76x
Halifax 83 12.53x
Dewsbury 74 15.99x
Thornhill 67 50.90x
Southowram 64 46.48x
Manchester 61 2.51x
Ecclesall Bierlow 56 6.10x
Bishopwearmouth 55 4.73x
Salford 51 3.21x
Onchan 49 20.12x
Kenwyn 43 31.90x
Ecclesfield 42 12.70x
Bradford 40 3.66x
Huddersfield 39 5.93x
Oldham 39 2.24x
Brightside Bierlow 38 4.29x
North Bierley 38 15.60x
Stayley 33 28.73x
Kea 32 83.31x
Barnsley 31 6.66x
Gomersal 30 14.25x
Toxteth Park 30 1.64x
Ashton Under Lyne 28 2.37x
Bethnal Green London 28 1.42x
Chorlton On Medlock 28 3.26x
Hipperholme Cum 28 14.13x
Helston 26 48.53x
Liverpool 26 0.79x
Blackburn 25 1.74x
Cleator 25 15.32x
Northowram 25 7.90x
Rawmarsh 25 15.69x
Wakefield 25 7.22x
St Pancras London 24 0.65x
Bromley London 23 2.30x
Dukinfield 23 4.95x
Heckmondwike 23 15.85x
Elton 22 11.79x
Gwennap 22 22.63x
Hulme 22 1.95x
Liversedge 22 10.95x
Bradfield 21 12.07x
Hexham 21 20.03x
Horbury 21 26.61x
Horton In Bradford 21 2.98x
Tavistock 21 19.45x
Barrow In Furness 20 2.72x
Dalton In Furness 20 9.59x
Rastrick 20 15.96x
Wortley In Bramley 20 5.60x
Armley 19 9.55x
Great Grimsby 19 4.11x
Parkstone 19 54.50x
Tong 19 21.80x
Hunslet 18 2.56x
Manningham 18 3.24x
St Keverne 18 63.42x
Warley 18 13.80x
West Derby 18 1.14x
Eastwood 17 30.98x
Skircoat 17 9.56x
Birmingham 16 0.42x
Darlington 16 3.06x
Dundee 16 1.02x
Eckington 16 9.24x
Ossett Cum Gawthorpe 16 9.93x
Shelf 16 37.13x
Althorpe 15 90.53x
Eccleshill 15 13.66x
Greasley 15 10.83x
Haxey 15 48.54x
Illogan 15 10.99x
Newton 15 3.60x
Herriard 14 221.17x
Openshaw 14 5.53x
Paddington London 14 0.84x
Soothill 14 8.59x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Oates surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 332
Sarah 188
Elizabeth 184
Ann 96
Jane 85
Annie 76
Ellen 76
Margaret 66
Emma 65
Alice 64
Eliza 62
Hannah 59
Martha 57
Emily 53
Harriet 41
Ada 36
Edith 34
Catherine 30
Louisa 30
Maria 23
Charlotte 21
Lucy 21
Fanny 20
Florence 20
Clara 17
Harriett 17
Caroline 16
Kate 16
Anne 15
Grace 15
Susan 14
Bertha 13
Frances 13
Susannah 13
Agnes 12
Esther 12
Amelia 11
Isabella 11
Ethel 10
Ruth 10
Selina 10
Gertrude 9
Julia 9
Laura 8
Sophia 8
Eleanor 7
Eliz. 7
Nancy 7
Priscilla 7
Margt. 6

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Oates surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 301
William 247
James 162
George 161
Thomas 160
Joseph 105
Charles 74
Henry 66
Robert 45
Samuel 41
Walter 38
Albert 36
Alfred 36
Arthur 36
Edward 32
Frederick 31
Richard 30
Benjamin 27
Harry 25
Herbert 24
Fred 21
Frank 18
David 17
Ernest 17
Edwin 13
Michael 13
Patrick 13
Wm. 11
Fredrick 10
Anthony 9
Francis 9
Matthew 9
Thos. 9
Tom 9
Geo. 8
Stephen 8
Edgar 7
Isaac 7
Joshua 7
Sam 7
Willie 7
Dennis 6
Edmund 6
Fredk. 6
Joe 6
Ralph 6
Willm. 6
Ben 5
Daniel 5
Harold 5

FAQ

Oates surname: questions and answers

How common was the Oates surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,568 people were recorded with the Oates surname. That placed it at #979 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Oates surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 5,602 in 2016. That gives Oates a modern rank of #1,194.

What does the Oates surname mean?

Derived from the Middle English word "oats," referring to someone who grew, sold, or processed oats.

What does the Oates map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Oates bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.