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Bates

beyts /beɪts/

At a glance

U.S. rank 2025
#9,714 of boy names (outside the top 1,000)
Babies in 2025
7 (<0.01% of boys)
Peak
#2,951 in 1935
First recorded
1919

Meaning of Bates

Bates galloped into history like a mischievous troubadour under a Spanish sun, born from the Old English Batte—diminutive of Bartholomew—and instantly earning the title “son of Bat.” Like a lively flamenco riff, he dances off the tongue with crisp, clear beats: beɪts. Once a sturdy surname, Bates now strides boldly as a first name, sprinkling every introduction with a dash of patrimonio and modern charm. Picture a pastel-hued mercado at dawn: his sound is as warm as pan tostado, as welcoming as an abuela’s beso. Though rare—just ten little Bateses appeared in the USA in 2023—he stands out like an estrella in a velvet sky, ready to write new capítulos of adventure. Vibrant, simple, and full of corazón, Bates is your next baby boy name with a story to tell.

How to pronounce Bates

English

Popularity of Bates in the U.S.

Bates was the #9,714 boy name in the U.S. in 2025, with 7 babies. It peaked at #2,951 in 1935. It first appears in the records in 1919.

Bar and line chart: Bates in the U.S., 1919–2025. Bars: boys given the name each year, most 17 in 2014 and 7 in 2025. Line: rank among boy names, peak #2,951 in 1935, #9,714 in 2025.
  • Boys named Bates (left scale)
  • Rank among U.S. boy names (right scale, #1 at the top)
By year, 1919–2025. Source: SSA. Download: PNG · SVG
Year-by-year table, 1919⁠–⁠2025 21 rows
Bates: babies and rank among boy names in the U.S. by year
YearBabiesRankvs previous year
202579,714back (not recorded in 2024)
2023107,738▲ 562
202298,300▼ 1,211
2021117,089back (not recorded in 2020)
2019512,145▼ 2,475
201879,670▼ 2,124
2017107,546▲ 1,270
201688,816▼ 72
201588,744▼ 3,492
2014175,252▲ 5,476
2013610,728back (not recorded in 2012)
2011610,808back (not recorded in 2002–2010)
200169,243back (not recorded in 1960–2000)
195953,988back (not recorded in 1936–1958)
193572,951back (not recorded in 1928–1934)
192763,780▼ 72
192663,708▲ 489
192554,197back (not recorded in 1923–1924)
192283,252▲ 1,070
192154,322back (not recorded in 1920)
191963,736new