Yates is a Scandinavian or Anglo-Saxon surname common among the Irish, and best associated with the

Poet Laureate A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

William Butler Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

, and his family of painters, including founders of Dun Emer Press and the

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the p ...

. Notable people with the surname include:

Entertainment

Art and literature

Dornford Yates Cecil William Mercer (7 August 1885 – 5 March 1960), known by his pen name Dornford Yates, was an English writer and novelist whose novels and short stories, some humorous (the ''Berry'' books), some thrillers (the ''Chandos'' books), were be ...

, the pseudonym of the English novelist, Cecil William Mercer (1885–1960) * Edmund Yates (1831–1894), Edinburgh-born novelist and dramatist *

Elizabeth Yates (author) Elizabeth Yates McGreal (December 6, 1905 – July 29, 2001) was an American writer. She may have been known best for the biographical novel '' Amos Fortune, Free Man'', winner of the 1951 Newbery Medal. She had been a Newbery runner-up in 1944 f ...

(1905–2001), American author * Fred Yates (1922–2008), English painter *

Frederic Yates Frederic Yates (1854–1919) was an English painter. He painted landscapes and portraits including President Woodrow Wilson and Sanford Ballard Dole, the only president of Hawaii. He settled in the Lake District. Life Frederic Keeping was ...

(1854–1919), English painter * J. Michael Yates (born 1938), Canadian poet and dramatist * Jason Yates (born 1972), American visual artist * Myriam Yates (born 1971), Canadian artist *

Richard Yates (novelist) Richard Yates (February 3, 1926 – November 7, 1992) was an American fiction writer identified with the mid-century "Age of Anxiety". His first novel, ''Revolutionary Road'', was a finalist for the 1962 National Book Award, while his first sho ...

(1926–1992), American novelist and short story writer

Music, theatre, film and television

* Aaron Dontez Yates (born 1971), American rapper, known as Tech N9ne * Billy Yates ('' fl.'' 1992–), American country singer *

Cassie Yates Cassandra Yates (born March 2, 1951) is an American actress known for her performances on television. Early years Yates was born and raised in Macon, Georgia. Her mother named her after the character Cassandra portrayed by Betty Field in '' ...

(born 1951), American television actress * David Yates (born 1963), English film and television director * Elizabeth Yates (actress) (1799–1860), English actress *

Francesco Yates Francesco Yates (born September 11, 1995) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Biography Yates was born in Toronto and started writing music at the age of 11. He signed to Atlantic Records when he was 16. His self-titled debut EP, released on ...

(born 1995), Canadian singer *

Frederick Henry Yates Frederick Henry Yates (4 February 1797 – 21 June 1842) was an English actor and theatre manager. Life Yates was born in London, the youngest son of Thomas Yates, a tobacco manufacturer, of Thames Street and Russell Square. Frederick was educ ...

(1797–1842), English actor and theatre manager *

Herbert Yates Herbert John Yates (August 24, 1880 – February 3, 1966) was the founder and president of Republic Pictures, who had western stars John Wayne, Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers under contract. Between the years 1935 and 1959, Republic, under Yates' l ...

(1880–1966), founder and president of Republic Pictures *

Lucky Yates Matt "Lucky" Yates (born October 18, 1967) is an American actor, voice actor, puppeteer and comedian. He is known for his voice roles as Dr. Krieger on ''Archer'' and the Xtacles on ''Frisky Dingo''. He was also a recurring actor on the Food Netw ...

(born 1967), American actor, voice actor, puppeteer, and comedian * Mary Anne Yates (1728–1787), English tragic actress *

Peter Yates Peter James Yates (24 July 1929 – 9 January 2011) was an English film director and producer. Biography Early life Yates was born in Aldershot, Hampshire. The son of an army officer, he attended Charterhouse School as a boy, graduated from ...

(1929–2011), English film director *

Reggie Yates Reginald (Reggie) Yates (born 31 May 1983) is a British writer and director with a career spanning three decades on screen as an actor, television presenter and radio DJ. Yates played Leo Jones in ''Doctor Who'' and has worked at the BBC in ra ...

(born 1983), English actor, television presenter, and radio DJ * Richard Yates (actor) (c. 1706–1796), English comic actor * Theodosia Yates (1815–1904), Australian actor and singer

News media

Alastair Yates Alastair Kenneth Yates (3 September 1952 – 26 July 2018) was an English news anchor, for over 20 years with the BBC, on BBC World News and BBC News. Born 3 September 1952 and brought up in Burton upon Trent, Yates was educated at Manor Hous ...

(1952–2018), English BBC News presenter *

Brock Yates Brock Wendel Yates (October 21, 1933 – October 5, 2016) was an American print and TV journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was longtime executive editor of ''Car and Driver'', an American automotive magazine. In 1971 Yates, his son, and a f ...

(1933–2016), automotive magazine reporter/editor *

Jess Yates Jesse Frederick Joseph Yates (20 December 1918 – 9 April 1993) was an English television presenter and producer. He was the creator, presenter and producer of Yorkshire Television's religious programme ''Stars on Sunday''. He was born in Tyld ...

(1918–1993), English television presenter *

Paula Yates Paula Elizabeth Yates (24 April 1959 – 17 September 2000) was a British television presenter and writer. Yates is best known for her work on two television programmes, '' The Tube'' and ''The Big Breakfast''. She was the girlfriend of musicia ...

(1959–2000), British television presenter

Sports

* Adam Yates (cyclist) (born 1992), English cyclist *

Adam Yates (footballer) Adam Paul Yates (born 28 May 1983) is an English former professional footballer who played as a right-back. He made 520 league and cup appearances in a 16-year career as a professional and also won three caps as a semi-pro international with Engl ...

(born 1983), English football player *

Billy Yates (American football) Billy LaQuayne Yates (born April 15, 1980) is an American football coach and former offensive guard who is an assistant offensive line coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A ...

(born 1980), American Football player *

Dorian Yates Dorian Andrew Mientjez Yates (born 19 April 1962) is an English retired professional bodybuilder. He won the Mr. Olympia title six consecutive times from 1992 to 1997 and has the fifth-highest number of Mr. Olympia wins in history, ranking behi ...

(born 1962), professional English bodybuilder *

Frederick Yates (chess player) Fred Dewhirst Yates (16 January 1884, Birstall, West Yorkshire, Birstall – 11 November 1932, London) was an English chess master who won the British Chess Championship on six occasions. He started a career in accountancy, but in 1909, aban ...

(1884–1932), English chess master who won the British Championship six times *

Gary Yates (cricketer) Gary Yates (born 20 September 1967 in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire) is a former English cricketer, an off-spinner who played for Lancashire from 1989 to 2004 takin184first-class wickets. He subsequently became 2nd team captain and coach. He has ...

(born 1967), Lancashire cricket player *

Janet Yates Janet Yates is a Northern Irish archer. She represented Northern Ireland at the 1982 Commonwealth Games The 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Australia, from 30 September to 9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at th ...

, Irish archer * Kevin Yates (born 1972), rugby union prop forward *

Kirby Yates Kirby Kali Yates (born March 25, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Angels, New York Yankees, and San Di ...

(born 1987), American baseball player for the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

Robert Yates (NASCAR) James Robert Yates (April 19, 1943 – October 2, 2017) was a NASCAR engine builder and former owner of the Sprint Cup Series team Yates Racing, owned since 2007 by his son Doug. He purchased the team from Harry Ranier in 1988, with driver Dav ...

(born ''ca'' 1943, ''fl.'' 1961–2007), former owner of

Yates Racing Yates Racing was an American stock car racing team that competed in NASCAR through the 2009 season, after which it merged into Richard Petty Motorsports. Previously known as Robert Yates Racing, the team was owned by Doug Yates, who has offici ...

, NASCAR racing team * Sammy Yates, English footballer *

Sean Yates Sean Yates (born 18 May 1960) is an English former professional cyclist and directeur sportif. Career Yates competed at the 1980 Summer Olympics, finishing sixth in the 4,000m individual pursuit. As an amateur in 1980, he won the British 25-mi ...

(born 1960), English cyclist *

Simon Yates (cyclist) Simon Philip Yates (born 7 August 1992) is a British road and track racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . His twin brother is Adam Yates, who is also a professional cyclist. He won the gold medal in the points race at the 201 ...

(born 1992), English cyclist *

Simon Yates (golfer) Simon Yates (born 16 March 1970) is a Scottish golfer. Turning professional in 1989, Yates relocated to Thailand after holidaying in Asia and deciding to base himself in the region. He has played on the Asian Tour since its first official season ...

(born 1970), British golfer * Simon Yates (mountaineer) (born 1963), English mountaineer * Steve Yates (born 1970),

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

football player * Steven Yates (born 1983), rugby union player from

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

* T. J. Yates (born 1987), American football player *

Tony Yates Tony Yates (September 15, 1937May 16, 2020) was an American college basketball player and head coach for the Cincinnati Bearcats. As a player, he won consecutive national championships with Cincinnati in 1961 and 1962. Yates was named a third- ...

(1937–2020), American basketball player and coach * Tyler Yates (born 1977), major league baseball pitcher * Wayne Yates (born 1937), NBA player and college basketball coach

Politics

United States

* Abraham Yates (1724-1796), American Continental Congressman * Frederick Yates (politician) (1914-1971), Michigan politician * Glenn Yates Jr. (1927-2022), Virginia politician and architect * Harry D. Yates (1903-1996), Acting New York Comptroller 1941 *

John P. Yates John Phillip Yates (November 24, 1921 – December 11, 2017) was an American Republican politician who served as a Member of the Georgia House of Representatives, representing the 73rd District from 1993 until 2016. He was the chairman of the Ho ...

(1921-2017), Georgia politician * John Van Ness Yates (1779-1839), New York Secretary of State 1818–1826 *

Joseph C. Yates Joseph Christopher Yates (November 9, 1768March 19, 1837) was an American lawyer, politician, statesman, and founding trustee of Union College. He served as 7th Governor of New York, from January 1, 1823 – December 31, 1824. History Born in 1 ...

(1768-1837), former governor of New York * Mary Carlin Yates (b. 1946), U.S. ambassador *

Peter W. Yates Peter Waldron Yates (August 23, 1747 – 1826) was a lawyer and statesman from Albany, New York. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1786. Yates was the son of John G. and Rebecca Waldron Yates. His father was a blacksmith in A ...

, American attorney and Continental Congress delegate * Richard Yates (governor), Illinois politician *

Richard Yates (son) Richard Yates Jr. (December 12, 1860 – April 11, 1936) was the 22nd Governor of Illinois from 1901 to 1905—the first native-born governor of the state. From 1919 to 1933, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois. Ear ...

, Illinois politician, his son *

Robert Yates (politician) Robert Yates (January 27, 1738 – September 9, 1801) was an American politician, attorney, jurist, and surveyor. As a delegate representing New York at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Yates is considered a Founding Father of the Unit ...

, anti-Federalist American politician *

Sally Yates Sally Quillian Yates (born Sally Caroline Quillian; August 20, 1960) is an American lawyer. From 2010 to 2015, she was United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. In 2015, she was appointed United States Deputy Attorney General b ...

, former U.S. Department of Justice official * Sidney R. Yates, politician from the state of Illinois

Other countries

Dianne Yates Dianne Fae Yates (born 29 November 1943) is a New Zealand politician. She is a member of the Labour Party. Member of Parliament Yates first entered Parliament in the 1993 election, representing the Hamilton East electorate. In the 1 ...

, New Zealand politician *

Elizabeth Yates (mayor) Elizabeth Yates (née Oman, 1840 – 6 September 1918) was a New Zealand politician who served as the mayor of Onehunga borough for most of 1894. She was the first female mayor in the British Empire. Outside the British Empire, she was preceded ...

, first female mayor in the British Empire * John Ashton Yates, UK member of parliament *

Ivan Yates Ivan Yates (born 23 October 1959) is an Irish broadcaster, businessman and former politician. He was elected as a Fine Gael Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wexford constituency at the 1981 general election and at each election until his retirement fr ...

, senior Irish politician

Science

David Gilbert Yates David Gilbert Yates (1870 – May 9, 1918) was an American otorhinolaryngologist, born in New Jersey. He attended private schools and after a brief stint as a journalist entered New York University, receiving his medical degree in 1898. He ...

, American eye, ear and throat surgeon *

Frances Yates Dame Frances Amelia Yates (28 November 1899 – 29 September 1981) was an English historian of the Renaissance, who wrote books on esoteric history. After attaining an MA in French at University College London, she began to publish her resear ...

, noted English historian * Frank Yates (1902–1994), English statistician *

JoAnne Yates JoAnne Yates (born 1951) Sloan Distinguished Professor of Management, Emerita at the MIT Sloan School of Management, has worked at the intersection of organization studies and information technology. She has contributed to a number of fields includ ...

(born 1951), American Professor of Managerial Communication *

Ricardo Baeza-Yates Ricardo A. Baeza-Yates (born March 21, 1961) is a Chilean- Catalan computer scientist that currently is a Research Professor at the Institute for Experiential AI of Northeastern University in the Silicon Valley campus. He is also part-time profe ...

(born 1961), Chilean computer scientist *

Samuel Yates Samuel Yates (May 10, 1919 in Savannah, Georgia – April 22, 1991 in New Brunswick, New Jersey) was a computer engineer and mathematician who first described unique primes in the 1980s. In 1984 he began the list of "Largest Known Primes" (today Th ...

, mathematician * Tyler Yates, physician

Military

* Charles Yates (1808–1870), brigadier-general during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

* Donald Norton Yates (1909–1993), USAAF officer and meteorologist to Eisenhower in WWII * Earl P. Yates (born 1923), US Admiral * Elmer P. Yates (1917–2011), US Army engineer general * George Yates (1843–1876), US Army officer and friend of George Armstrong Custer * Harry Yates (RAF officer) (1896–1968), Canadian RAF officer * James Yates (cricketer) (1883–1929), cricketer and British Indian Army officer * Julian E. Yates (1871–1953), US Army officer and chaplain *

Peter Yates (architect) Peter Yates (19 July 1920 – 16 November 1982) was a British born artist and architect. Yates was best known for his partnership with Gordon Ryder in the North of England architectural firm, Ryder and Yates. Biography Early life and education ...

(1920–1982), British architect and RAF officer

Miscellaneous

Andrea Yates Andrea Pia Yates ( Kennedy; born July 2, 1964) is an American woman from Houston, Texas, who confessed to drowning her five children in their bathtub on June 20, 2001. She had severe postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis, and schizophreni ...

, woman

acquitted In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as criminal law is concerned. The finality of an acquittal is dependent on the jurisdiction. In some countries, such as the ...

, by reason of insanity, of drowning her five children * James Yates, English Unitarian minister * John Yates, former Assistant Commissioner in the Metropolitan Police Service * Joseph Brooks Yates, English merchant and antiquary * Richard Vaughan Yates, founder of

Prince's Park, Liverpool Prince's Park in Toxteth, Liverpool, England, is a municipal park, south east of Liverpool city centre. In 2009, its status was upgraded to a Grade II* Historic Park by English Heritage. History The park was originally a private developmen ...

Robert Lee Yates Robert Lee Yates Jr. (born May 27, 1952) is an American serial killer from Spokane, Washington. From 1975 to 1998, Yates is known to have murdered at least 11 women in Spokane. Yates also confessed to two murders committed in Walla Walla in 1975 ...

, American serial killer * William Yates, fifth president of the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William I ...

*Thomas, John, Albert and William Yates (1860-1917), the largest organizers of production on the Ural in Russia of the 19-20 century.

Fiction

* Detective Yates, recurring character in the skit comedy series ''

The Kids in the Hall The Kids in the Hall is a Canadian sketch comedy troupe formed in 1984, consisting of comedians Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson. Their eponymous television show ran from 1989 to 1995, on CBC, ...

'' * The Hon. John Yates from ''

Mansfield Park ''Mansfield Park'' is the third published novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1814 by Thomas Egerton. A second edition was published in 1816 by John Murray, still within Austen's lifetime. The novel did not receive any public reviews unt ...

'' by Jane Austen * Kasidy Yates, a recurring character in the science fiction TV series ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' * Lise Yates, from the British TV Sitcom ''Red Dwarf'' * Captain Mike Yates, British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' * Rowdy Yates, '' Rawhide'' TV series (CBS 1959–1966) * Yates Noll, villain from ''Terrier'', Book 1 of

Tamora Pierce Tamora Pierce (born December 13, 1954) is an American writer of fantasy fiction for teenagers, known best for stories featuring young heroines. She made a name for herself with her first book series, '' The Song of the Lioness'' (1983–1988), w ...

's Beka Cooper Series * '' Richard Yates'', a 2010 novel by

Tao Lin Tao Lin (; born July 2, 1983) is an American novelist, poet, essayist, short-story writer, and artist. He has published four novels, a novella, two books of poetry, a collection of short stories, and a memoir, as well as an extensive assortment of ...

References

{{surname, Yates English-language surnames