unisex name
Paddy
PAD-ee
- Origin Irish
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 100 (Ireland)
- Births on record 2,323
Ireland
#100
2025 births
Paddy is a unisex name of Latin origin, the familiar form of Pádraig, meaning "nobleman." It ranks 100th in Ireland, and its history as an ethnic slur in Britain is part of why its revival is happening in Ireland first.
- Paddy is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in Ireland in 2022, when 60 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in Ireland.
- Today about 1 in 773 babies in Ireland is given this name.
- Paddy started out as a girls' name and is now given almost entirely to boys.
- First appears in birth records in 1988.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Paddy over time
Births per decade in Ireland, 1980s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1980s | 4 |
| 1990s | 29 |
| 2000s | 229 |
| 2010s | 422 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 337 |
What Paddy means
Paddy means nobleman, inherited from Patrick and behind it the Latin patricius. The Roman word described the hereditary senatorial class, so the sense is one of inherited rank rather than personal quality.
Where Paddy comes from
Paddy is the familiar form of Pádraig, the Irish for Patrick, from the Latin Patricius, a patrician. Because Patrick was so overwhelmingly common among Irish men, Paddy became a generic label for an Irishman in British English from the eighteenth century, and it was used as an ethnic slur through the nineteenth and twentieth — the Paddy wagon and the phrase to have a paddy both come from that period and that attitude. The name has been reclaimed within Ireland far faster than the association has faded in Britain, which is the usual pattern for such words, and its current use is confidently Irish rather than defensive. Patrick himself was a Romano-British missionary, and his name was long considered too sacred for direct use in Ireland; the modern familiarity would have been unthinkable for most of the name's history.
Paddy in use
Paddy ranks 100th in Ireland with 58 births in 2025 and our data records it as unisex. It sits at 236th in Northern Ireland and 725th in England and Wales, and its position is much stronger in the Republic than anywhere else. Our records mark it stable with a peak in 1934 and carry it from 1928, so the current use is a revival of a name that was already established rather than a new short form.
How popular is Paddy?
In 2025, Paddy was given to 58 babies in Ireland, ranking #100 that year. It is one of the most popular names in Ireland.
Where Paddy is used
Irish figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year, so a gap means the name fell below that floor rather than went unused. The Central Statistics Office began recording the síneadh fada in 2018, so accented and unaccented spellings are counted separately from that year on. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Paddy
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Paddy also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Paddy over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Paddy
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Paddy in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Paddy
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Paddy — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Paddy
What does the name Paddy mean?
Paddy means "nobleman," inherited from Patrick and the Latin patricius.
Is Paddy short for Patrick?
Yes, by way of the Irish Pádraig. It is now widely registered as a name in its own right.
Is Paddy offensive?
It was used as an ethnic slur in Britain from the eighteenth century. Within Ireland it has been reclaimed, and its current use there is unremarkable.
Is Paddy a boy's or a girl's name?
Our data records it as unisex, though the great majority of use is male.
How popular is the name Paddy?
In 2025, Paddy was given to 58 babies in Ireland, ranking #100 that year. It is one of the most popular names in Ireland.
How many syllables are in Paddy?
Paddy has 2 syllables.
When was Paddy most popular?
Paddy peaked in 2022, when 60 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Paddy?
Paddy is usually shortened to Pat.
Is Paddy a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Paddy currently ranks #100 in Ireland. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.