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Goates Family History

Goates Surname Meaning

English: variant of Goate with plural or post-medieval excrescent -s from Middle English gote occasionally got(te) ‘watercourse channel stream’ (Old English gota) a topographic name denoting someone who lived by a watercourse or a habitational name from a place so named such as East Goit (East Yorkshire) Goat Farm in Ringmer (Sussex) or Goat Farm in Streat (Sussex).

This element is widely found in minor placenames in northern England where it survives as dialect gote goit.

Alternatively, Goate may derive from Middle English got(e) ‘goat’ (Old English gāt) either as an occupational name for someone who looked after goats or as a nickname for someone who resembled a goat in some way; the animal was associated with lascivious behaviour.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Goates family from?

You can see how Goates families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Goates family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1880 and 1920. The most Goates families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 62 Goates families living in London. This was about 25% of all the recorded Goates's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Goates families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Goates surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Goates ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Incapacitated and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Goates. 50% of Goates men worked as an Incapacitated and 80% of Goates women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Goates were Mechanic and Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Goates | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • Incapacitated
    50%
  • Mechanic
    50%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    80%
  • Private Means
    5%
  • Housewife
    5%
  • Domestic Duties
    5%

What Goates family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 4,000 census records available for the last name Goates. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Goates census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Goates

Passenger Lists

There are 388 immigration records available for the last name Goates. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Goates immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 487 military records available for the last name Goates. For the veterans among your Goates ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Goates military records

You've only scratched the surface of Goates family history

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What is the average Goates lifespan?

Between 1962 and 2004, in the United States, Goates life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1968, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Goates in 1962 was 78, and 85 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Goates

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Goates ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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