The surname Yates is of English origin. The name was a topographical name for someone who lived by a gate. A family could acquire a place name as a surname under three different circumstances: 1. the gentleman lived or worked in or near some topographical formation or landscape feature, either natural or artificial. 2. he formerly lived in a village and thus acquired the reputation of being from that place. 3. he owned or was lord of the village or manor designated. However, it is safe to say that in most cases a placename merely identifies the place where the original bearer of the name formerly resided. The name in this sense thus comes to mean ‘dweller by a gate’. The name may also be a metonymic occupational name for a gate keeper, from the Old English ‘geat’, gate. A man usually works eight hours a day in order to make his living, sleeps and rests eight hours, and devotes the remaining eight hours to eating, minor chores and recreation, although a part of the latter may be taken up in travelling to and from work. Since man’s work takes up such a large portion of his life it must be taken into consideration in any adequate system of identification; as it was for the surname Yates. The ordinary pursuits of th…
Coat of arms: Azure a fesse…