Patsy
Patsy was the 6059th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 20 babies. Its best year was 1936, when it ranked 52nd; the most babies were born in 1941 (4,788). Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,465 places. More babies were named Patsy in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Patricia or Patrick · English, Latin
Say it PAT-see /ˈpætsi/
- Rank in 2025
- #6,059 girls, up 798 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 20girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19414,788 babies
- Total since 1880
- 127,161babies recorded
What does the name Patsy mean?
Patsy is a pet form of Patricia, and for boys of Patrick, made with the -sy ending, as Wiktionary notes. Patricia and Patrick come from Latin patricius 'patrician, noble', as DMNES notes. Singer Patsy Cline (born Virginia Patterson Hensley) is a famous bearer. In American slang 'patsy' means 'dupe', of uncertain origin and unrelated to the name.
patricius (Latin, “patrician, noble”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Patricia, Patrick, Pat, Patty.
See also: Latin names, names that mean noble.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Patsy', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Patrick', DMNES (Durham University)
Patsy popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 7,713 since 1886.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #6,059 | 20 |
| 2020 | #6,857 | 17 |
| 2010 | #7,432 | 17 |
| 2000 | #4,150 | 30 |
| 1990 | #1,436 | 110 |
| 1980 | #1,444 | 85 |
| 1970 | #565 | 322 |
| 1960 | #270 | 1,106 |
| 1950 | #117 | 2,930 |
| 1940 | #57 | 4,079 |
| 1930 | #97 | 2,544 |
| 1920 | #493 | 195 |
| 1910 | #470 | 73 |
| 1900 | #487 | 49 |
| 1890 | #714 | 15 |
| 1880 | #446 | 15 |
How popular is Patsy, counting every spelling?
Patsy has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Patsy?
20 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Patsy (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Patsy 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 423 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Patsy.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Patsy?
About 57,400 people born in the US named Patsy are alive today, with a median age of 78; half are between 70 and 84. That makes Patsy a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Patsy by state
How common Patsy was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 50 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Patsy: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Patsy, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Patsy · Sibling names for Patsy
Patsy is also a nickname for Patricia.
Questions about the name Patsy
What does Patsy mean?
Patsy means “pet form of Patricia or Patrick” (English, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Patsy?
Patsy was the 6059th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 20 babies. Its best year was 1936, when it ranked 52nd; the most babies were born in 1941 (4,788). Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,465 places. More babies were named Patsy in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Is Patsy a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Patsy in the US.
Where is Patsy most popular?
In 2021–2025, Patsy was most common in Texas (0.02 per 1,000 girls).