Cates
An English surname that most likely began as a nickname or occupational name from Middle English cates, meaning delicacies or dainties.
The #1,984 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 16,973 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Cates is generally taken from Middle English cates, a word meaning delicacies, dainties, or choice food. That word came through Old French, ultimately from a form meaning 'delicacies' or 'fine foods.' As a surname, it likely began as a nickname for a seller or maker of such foods, or for someone associated with fine provisions.
History
Early surname scholars treated Cates as a food-related occupational nickname, linking it to the same word seen in Shakespeare’s 'cates' for dainties. The name is well established in England and later appears in North America, where it became fairly common in several states. In modern usage it is usually treated as an inherited family name rather than a transparent word-name.
Origin
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Fun fact
The old English word cates survives in Shakespeare, who uses it to mean tasty morsels or delicacies.
From the historical record
“of the Cliftons, of Clifton in Lancashire, is William de Clifton, who held ten caru- cates of land, in the 42nd year of Henry III. Shirley's Noble and Gentle Men. The Cliftons, of Clifton in Nottingham- shire, are derived from Gervase de Clifton, who flourished in the 5th year of King”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom