Hi Nancy, Re your message. The little I have says: The name of BATES is believed to have been derived from Bartholomew's son. Batte or Bate stood for Bartholomew and the "s" stood for son. This is the most generally accepted belief but some family historians state that the name is from the Anglo-Saxon word "bate" meaning "contention". The name was frequently spelled without the "s" on ancient records. - From: The Name and Family of Bates Compiled by: The Media Research Bureau, Washington, D.C. Hope this adds a little to other info which I am sure you will receive. Diane Bates Nancy Gay Crawford wrote: > > Does anyone on this list have a history of the BATES name? > I am interested in it's origin and the different spelling > variations. > > Thank you, > Nancy