Tate

Where Tate comes from

From Middle English *Tate, partially from Old English Tāta, from Proto-West Germanic *tait, from Proto-Germanic *taitaz (“radiant, glad, cheerful, tender”); and partially from Old Norse Táta, a personal name of unknown meaning. Doublet of Tait and Zeiss.
— Wiktionary's entry for Tate
  • Old English
  • 1 syllable
  • Vowel-ended
Along the way
  1. 1912
    First appearance
    #2,269 among boys, 6 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  2. 1963
    Tate Donovan born
    American actor
  3. 2003
    Tate McRae born
    Canadian singer, songwriter, and dancer
  4. 2025
    Peak, #193
    1,862 babies named Tate — more than any year before or since.
In the dictionary
  • A surname transferred from the given name.
  • A male given name from Old English transferred back from the surname.
  • A female given name.
Namesakes
  • Tate McRae · Canadian singer, songwriter, and dancer, born 2003
  • Tate Donovan · American actor, born 1963
  • Tate Taylor · American actor, screenwriter, film producer and director, born 1969
  • Tate Reeves · 65th governor of Mississippi, born 1974
  • Tate Smith · Australian canoeist, born 1981

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.