Patrick
PAT-rihk
The name Patrick derives from the Latin Patricius, meaning “nobleman” or “member of the patrician class,” from pater (“father”).
In ancient Rome, the patricii were the hereditary aristocracy descended from the original founding fathers of the Senate, in contrast to the plebeians. The Indo-European root pəter- underlies both the Latin and the English word father.
The name’s global prominence rests entirely on Saint Patrick (c. 385-461 CE), the Romano-British missionary who brought Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century.
What the name Patrick means
Captured as a teenager by Irish raiders and enslaved as a shepherd, Patrick later escaped, trained as a priest, and returned to Ireland as bishop.
His autobiographical Confessio, one of the earliest surviving Latin documents from Ireland, remains a key historical source. His feast day, March 17, is celebrated worldwide as Saint Patrick’s Day.
In literature, Patrick appears throughout Irish and English writing, from James Joyce’s Dubliners (1914) to the title character of Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho (1991).
The Scottish highlands and lowlands adopted the name heavily as well, producing bearers such as the anti-slavery preacher Patrick Henry of Virginia, whose “give me liberty or give me death” speech of 1775 became American canon.
Patrick has appeared on the U.S. Social Security Administration top 1000 for boys every year since tracking began in 1880, peaking inside the top 30 during the 1950s and 1960s.
Its strongest concentrations are in Ireland, where it remains a national favorite, and in Irish American communities of Boston, New York, and Chicago. The name is also used across France, Germany, and Scandinavia.
Contemporary bearers include NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes, actor Patrick Dempsey, and Canadian singer Patrick Watson.
US popularity over time
Numerology and symbolism
Based on Pythagorean numerology — a traditional system linking name letters to numbers. Presented for cultural interest.
Patrick - similar names
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