Meaning and Origin of the Name Patrick
Latin patricius, "member of the nobility." St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was born in England and educated in France. In A.D. 432 he went to Ireland to preach the gospel. Until the 17th century, most people in Ireland held St. Patrick in such high esteem that his name wasn't used. In the United States, the statesman and orator Patrick Henry urged the declaration of war against the English crown with his famous line, "Give me liberty or give me death."
The name was popular in England, Scotland, and the United States during the 20th century. It became one of the 50 most common names for boys in the United States in 1948 and didn't lose that status until 1997. By 2005, it had fallen to 108th place.
Famous names: Patrick Ewing (basketball player), Patrick J. Leahy (U.S. senator), Patrick Stewart (actor)
Nicknames: Paddy, Pat, Patsy, Patty, Ticho (Spanish)
Variations of Patrick: Padraig (Irish Gaelic), Padrig (Welsh), Patrice (French), Patricio (Spanish and Portuguese), Patricius (Dutch), Patrik (Czech, Finnish, Swedish, and Hungarian), Patriss (Latvian), Patrizio (Italian), Patryk (Polish)
See more Irish names.