Patrick
Patrick was the 235th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,495 babies. Its best year was 1964, when it ranked 30th with 14,692 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 70 places. More babies were named Patrick in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Meaning noble, patrician · Latin
Say it PAT-rik /ˈpætrɪk/
- Rank in 2025
- #235 boys, down 30 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,495boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 196414,692 babies
- Total since 1880
- 689,424babies recorded
What does the name Patrick mean?
Patrick comes from Latin Patricius, 'patrician, noble', the name of the 5th-century missionary who became Ireland's patron saint; DMNES and Wiktionary agree. The Roman patricians were the old aristocratic families, from pater, 'father'. DMNES notes that, despite its later fame, the name was quite rare in medieval Ireland. Paddy and Pat are pet forms, and Pádraig is the Irish form.
Patricius (Latin, “patrician, noble”)pater (Latin, “father”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Pat, Paddy, Pádraig, Patricia, Patricio, Patrice.
See also: Latin names, names that mean noble.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Patrick', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wiktionary, entry 'Patrick', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Patrick (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Patrick
The usual nicknames for Patrick are Pat, Paddy and Packy.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pat · also for Patricia | Traditional | — | — |
| Paddy | Traditional | — | — |
| Packy | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Patricks go by each one.
Patrick popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 2,834 since 1904.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #235 | 1,495 |
| 2020 | #205 | 1,867 |
| 2010 | #129 | 3,139 |
| 2000 | #68 | 6,297 |
| 1990 | #36 | 12,377 |
| 1980 | #38 | 10,352 |
| 1970 | #33 | 11,730 |
| 1960 | #45 | 10,356 |
| 1950 | #38 | 8,179 |
| 1940 | #74 | 2,883 |
| 1930 | #118 | 1,532 |
| 1920 | #159 | 877 |
| 1910 | #129 | 254 |
| 1900 | #89 | 285 |
| 1890 | #75 | 227 |
| 1880 | #67 | 248 |
How popular is Patrick, counting every spelling?
Patrick is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #254 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #235 for Patrick on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,495 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick | 1,495 | #235 | 8,234 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Patrick?
1,495 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Patrick (0.41 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Patrick born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 6 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Patrick.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Patrick?
About 543,600 people born in the US named Patrick are alive today, with a median age of 46; half are between 34 and 61. That makes Patrick mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Patrick by state
How common Patrick was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in District of Columbia (4.3×), Massachusetts (3.0×), Rhode Island (2.5×), Maine (2.3×), Connecticut (2.3×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in South Dakota, California, Arkansas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Patrick: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Patrick, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Patrick · Sibling names for Patrick
Questions about the name Patrick
What does Patrick mean?
Patrick means “noble, patrician” (Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Patrick?
Patrick was the 235th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,495 babies. Its best year was 1964, when it ranked 30th with 14,692 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 70 places. More babies were named Patrick in the 1960s than in any other decade.
Is Patrick a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Patrick in the US.
Where is Patrick most popular?
In 2021–2025, Patrick was most common in District of Columbia (4.07 per 1,000 boys), followed by Massachusetts and Rhode Island.