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Pate Family History

Pate Surname Meaning

English and Scottish: from the personal name Pate, a pet form of Patrick and in Scotland possibly also of Peter. Compare Paton and Peat. English and Scottish: nickname from Middle English pate ‘head skull’ perhaps for a man with a bald head. Compare Head.

French (Paté): from Old French paté ‘with paws pawed’ (from pate ‘paw’) a nickname applied presumably to a man with large and clumsy hands and feet. French (Pâte Pâté): from Old French paste ‘pastry meat dish surrounded by dough’ applied as a metonymic occupational name for a pastry cook.

Slovenian: perhaps from a short form of the personal name Paternuš, an archaic form of Bartolomej (see Bartholomew). German: relationship name or nickname (for a trustworthy man) from Middle High German bate pate, Middle Low German pade ‘godfather male relative’ from Latin pater ‘father’.

German: possibly also from the personal name Bado of ancient Germanic origin probably meaning ‘battle fight’.

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


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Where is the Pate family from?

You can see how Pate families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Pate family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Pate families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 44 Pate families living in Nova Scotia. This was about 35% of all the recorded Pate's in Canada. Nova Scotia had the highest population of Pate families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Pate 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 Pate ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Income were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Pate. 47% of Pate men worked as a Farmer and 100% of Pate women worked as an Income.

View Census Data for Pate | 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 1921

  • Farmer
    47%
  • Laborer
    16%
  • Agent
    8%
  • Merchant
    8%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Income
    100%

What Pate family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 107,000 census records available for the last name Pate. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Pate census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Pate

Passenger Lists

There are 7,000 immigration records available for the last name Pate. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Pate immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 26,000 military records available for the last name Pate. For the veterans among your Pate ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Pate military records

You've only scratched the surface of Pate family history

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What is the average Pate lifespan?

Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, Pate life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1949, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Pate in 1943 was 48, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Pate

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Pate 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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