Boy name · Old English
Tate
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: from a surname derived from Old English Tata, probably happyTate is a boy's name that is of Old English origin: from a surname derived from Old English Tata, probably happy. It is used in English.
- Meaning
- From a surname derived from Old English Tata, probably happy
- Origin
- Old English
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #194 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Tate
As a boy's name, Tate is of Old English origin: from a surname derived from Old English Tata, probably happy. It is used in English.
Tate is also a surname: the 479th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 68,390 people. See the most common last names.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
How popular is Tate?
- US rank in 2025
- #194
- 1,862 babies, 1,090 per million boys
- Best rank
- #194 in 2025
- 1,862 babies that year
- Babies since 1912
- At least 27,400
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 8 per million |
| 1920s | 5 per million |
| 1930s | 2 per million |
| 1940s | 3 per million |
| 1950s | 2 per million |
| 1960s | 15 per million |
| 1970s | 49 per million |
| 1980s | 35 per million |
| 1990s | 142 per million |
| 2000s | 324 per million |
| 2010s | 388 per million |
| 2020s | 858 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #448 | #450 | #494 | #438 | #353 | #304 | #234 | #197 | #210 | #194 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Tate
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- TaeoGreat enlightenment (depends on hanja) (Korean, boy)
- TahaThe letters ta and ha, opening Quran chapter 20 (Arabic, boy)
- TalDew, morning dew (Hebrew, unisex)
- TamA twin (Aramaic, boy)
- TamerDate (fruit) (Arabic, boy)
- TanoFrom Gaeta (Latin, boy)
- TaoGreat waves (depends on characters) (Chinese, boy)
- TaroBig son; eldest son (Japanese, boy)
- TatumTata's homestead (Old English, unisex)
Names with a similar meaning
- ElenaForm of Helen, probably from Greek torch (Greek, girl)
- FelixLucky, happy (Latin, boy)
- LilianaLatinate form of Lillian, probably from Elizabeth or Lily (English, girl)
- AaronProbably Egyptian, meaning unknown; Hebrew theories say exalted (Hebrew, boy)
- FridaPeace; in Old Norse, beloved (Germanic and Old Norse, girl)
- AldoOld (Germanic, boy)
- AsherHappy, blessed (Hebrew, boy)
- BruceProbably from Brix in Normandy (French, boy)
- DeclanMeaning unknown, though likely begins with Old Irish dag, good (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- EvelynFrom a surname derived from the given name Aveline (English, girl)
- FeliciaLucky, happy (Latin, girl)
- GrahamFrom a surname from the place name Grantham, probably gravelly homestead (Old English, boy)
- JacksonFrom a surname meaning son of Jack (English, boy)
- JustinFrom Latin Iustinus, derived from Justus, just (Latin, boy)
- KennedyFrom an Irish surname, from Cennétig, armoured or misshapen head (Irish Gaelic, girl)
Middle names for Tate
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Old English
- EdgarWealthy spear (Old English, boy)
- AlfredElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- EduardRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- StormTempest (Old English, unisex)
- AlfredoElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- EduardoRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- HarperHarp player (Old English, unisex)
- KnoxRound hill (Old English, boy)
- LindenLime tree (Old English, unisex)
- LindsayLincoln island (Old English, unisex)
- OsmundGod protector (Old English, boy)
- OswaldPower of a god (Old English, boy)
- ReidRed-haired (Old English, boy)
- RutherfordCattle ford (Old English, boy)
- StewartSteward (Old English, boy)
- SundayDay of the sun (Old English, unisex)
- AelfricElf ruler (Old English, boy)
- ÆlfricElf ruler (Old English, boy)
Tate: common questions
What does the name Tate mean?
Tate is of Old English origin: from a surname derived from Old English Tata, probably happy. Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Tate a boy or girl name?
Tate is mainly a boy's name. In 2025, 160 girls and 1,862 boys in the US were named Tate, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Tate come from?
Tate is of Old English origin: from a surname derived from Old English Tata, probably happy. Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Tate?
Tate ranked #194 in the US in 2025, with 1,862 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Tate?
Names spelled like Tate include Taeo, Taha, Tal, Tam and Tamer.
What middle names go with Tate?
Middle names that flow well with Tate include Alistair, Augustus, Conrad, Cyprian and Lucian. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.

