Gates
The Story of Gates
As a girl name
Gates first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1993, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1994, when 10 Gatess were born — ranking #8,124 that year. As of 2026, Gates ranks #15,031 for girls with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 44 Gatess have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1990s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
Gates first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1904, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2024, when 37 Gatess were born — ranking #3,206 that year. As of 2026, Gates ranks #3,435 for boys with 34 births, rising sharply (+77% over the past five years). In total, more than 500 Gatess have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1900s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Gates
Phonetically similar names — useful when Gates is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Gaits
- Guts
- Gets
- Goats
- Gats
- Gots
- Geats
- Gatz
- Getz
- Goetz
- Ghats
- Gotts
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Gates
What does the name Gates mean?
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In which U.S. states is Gates most popular?
Is Gates a unisex name?
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About the name Gates
Gates is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1904 and has accumulated 500 births in the dataset. Gates's peak popularity came in 2024 when it ranked #1,064. Use the chart and map above to compare Gates's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2024 →
- Names of the 2020s →
- Names starting with "G" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.