2000
#1,117
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,804
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.68
Uncommon Last name
Pate
An English occupational surname for a herdsman or a nickname for a bald person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 32,106 Americans carry the last name Pate. That puts it at #1,236 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,676 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pate surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Pate with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
32K
1 in 10,676
Census rank
#1,236
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
28K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 27,998 bearers of the surname Pate in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1236th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pate, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pate
The surname Pate has its origins in France, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "paste," which referred to a small loaf or cake of bread. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname for a baker or someone who made or sold pastries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pate can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and properties in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. This indicates that individuals bearing this surname likely arrived in England from Normandy following the Norman Conquest of 1066.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named John Pate was recorded as a citizen of London. During the same period, the name appeared in various historical documents across different regions of France, including the Île-de-France and the Normandy region.
The surname Pate has also been associated with several place names throughout history. For example, the village of Pate in Somerset, England, was once known as "Pate-ton," which likely referred to a settlement or farm owned by someone with the surname Pate.
Amongst the notable individuals who have borne the surname Pate, one can mention:
1. Walter Pate (1505-1565), an English academic and ecclesiastic who served as the President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford.
2. Henry Pate (1568-1634), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Tregony in Cornwall.
3. Richard Pate (1516-1588), an English clergyman who became the Bishop of Worcester and later the Bishop of Oxford.
4. Jean-Baptiste Pate (1767-1842), a French painter known for his landscape and portrait works.
5. William Pate (1666-1728), an English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. James Piccadilly.
While the surname Pate has experienced various spelling variations over time, such as Pates, Pait, and Payte, its French origins and connections to the baking trade have remained a consistent thread throughout its long history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pate
Among Census respondents with the surname Pate, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Pate bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Pate surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.8% · 21,499
- Black or African American14.3% · 4,008
- Two or more races4.0% · 1,122
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 830
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 299
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 240
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pate
Pate appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,208
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,327
+523 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 9.94
Rank movement Down 91 places
2020
#1,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,998
-1,329 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 9.37
Rank movement Down 28 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,117 | 28,804 | 10.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,208 | 29,327 | 9.94 | +523 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 91 places |
| 2020 | #1,236 | 27,998 | 9.37 | -1,329 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 28 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Pate surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,208 | #1,236 | -2.3% |
| Count | 29,327 | 27,998 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 9.94 | 9.37 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pate bearers went from 29,327 to 27,998 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 28 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,208 to #1,236.
FAQ
Pate surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pate?
Name Census estimates that about 32,106 living Americans carry the surname Pate. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,676 residents.
How common is Pate?
Pate ranks #1,236 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.37 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 27,998 people with the surname Pate. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (32,106), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.37 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Pate.
Has Pate become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pate went from 29,327 recorded bearers to 27,998. That is a decrease of 1,329 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,208 to #1,236.
What does the Census say about the background of Pate?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pate, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pate in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.8% (21,499 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pate appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.8%), Black (14.3%), Two or More Races (4.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Pate (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Pate mean?
An English occupational surname for a herdsman or a nickname for a bald person. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Pate (9.37 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Pate?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.