Cate
Usually a shortened or altered form of Catte/Catt, a surname linked to the cat, though some examples may reflect French or Norman influence.
The #6,763 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 61,910 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name Cate is generally treated as a variant of Catt or Catte, from the word for a cat, used either as a nickname or as a surname formed from that animal name. The historical sources also show related spellings in Dutch, German, and French, which suggests that some bearers may descend from continental forms rather than from the English word alone. In a few cases, 19th-century writers thought it might be an altered form of older French names, but that is less certain than the straightforward 'cat' derivation.
History
The surname appears in historical spelling webs around Catt, Catte, Chatty, and similar forms, and later records show Cate as one of several simplified variants. Some genealogical writers connected it with Norman or French surnames such as Chatel or de Castello, but those explanations are not firmly established for all families. In modern usage Cate is relatively uncommon, especially compared with Catt or Catte.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname dictionaries sometimes grouped Cate with a whole cluster of cat-based and Catte/Catt-related spellings, showing how fluid surname spelling could be before standardization.
From the historical record
“gests. Worthies ii. 231. It may possibly belong to the same class as Cato, Cajsar, Virgil, Sec. Its forms in theH.R. are Cate- lyn and Catoline. CATMORE. CATMUR. Catmere, co. Berks.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom