The origin of the Bates name

Research yields several possible sources for the surname Bates.  This name may be patronymic in origin, signifying one who is the “son of Bate”, a diminutive form of the name Bartholomew, a Hebrew name meaning “son of Calmai” (abounding in furrows).  However, this name may also be of occupational origin, deriving from the position held or the profession pursued by the original bearer.  In this case, the name would denote one who worked on ships for a living, from the Old English term “bat”, meaning “boatman”.  Finally, this name may be of local origin, traceable to the place where a man once lived or held land.  Thus, Bates would identify one who was a “dweller by the fertile pasture”, from the Old Norse word “bati”, meaning “pasture”.
The name Bates is recorded in England as early as the thirteenth century when in 1273, one Bate de Butwick is noted in the Hundred Rolls for Lancashire.  This name was introduced to Ireland during the seventeenth century, in the period of concerted colonization, known as the Plantations.  At that time King James II encouraged English proprietors to settle in Ireland and bearers of this name in Ireland today are undoubtedly descended from these early colonists.  The name Bates is particularly prevalent in North Ulster and Dublin today.
There is no record of the arrival of the first of this name in America, however, it is documented that Taylor Clement Bates, his wife Ann and their five children took passage on the “Elizabeth” bound for New England in 1635.