Where Does the Keates Surname Come From?

Written in a baptism entry or a ship's list, Keates usually leads back to Keats. Taken at its root, Keates points to “Kite”. The extra “e” in Keates is a spelling habit rather than a different name. Local scribes, dialects and emigration all left their mark on how the name was written. Related forms: Keat.

Arms linked to Keats and its spellings were granted to individual families; our heraldry team traces which line they belonged to. Get the complete Keates report, with a museum-style coat of arms.