James Tate may refer to:
- James Tate (headmaster) (1771–1843), headmaster of Richmond School, 1796–1833
- James Tate (politician) (1910–1983), Irish-American politician, mayor of Philadelphia
- James "Honest Dick" Tate (1831–?), State Treasurer of Kentucky
- James W. Tate (1875–1922), songwriter, accompanist, and composer
- James Tate (writer) (1943–2015), poet
- James Tate, murderer involved in the 2003 John McDonogh High School shooting
- James Tate (Emmerdale), a fictional character on the soap opera Emmerdale
See also
- Jim Tait (c. 1935–2011), football coach