boy's name
Padraig
PAW-drig
- Origin Irish
- Gender Boy
- Letters 7
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 7,468
Northern Ireland
#95
2024 births
Padraig is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "nobleman," the Irish form of Patrick. It ranks 95th in Northern Ireland and belongs to the patron saint of Ireland, who was not Irish.
- Padraig is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in Ireland in 1981, when 193 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in Ireland.
- Today about 1 in 8,971 babies in Ireland is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1964.
Padraig over time
Births per decade in Ireland, 1960s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 355 |
| 1970s | 1,110 |
| 1980s | 1,529 |
| 1990s | 1,119 |
| 2000s | 727 |
| 2010s | 519 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 208 |
What Padraig means
Padraig means nobleman, or patrician. The Latin patricius described a member of the Roman senatorial class, from pater, a father, and it was a rank rather than a name until the man who carried it to Ireland made it one.
Where Padraig comes from
Padraig is the Irish Pádraig, from the Latin Patricius, a patrician — a member of Rome's hereditary aristocracy. Its bearer was a Romano-British Christian, born somewhere on the west coast of Britain in the fifth century, taken to Ireland as a slave at sixteen, who escaped, returned as a missionary and left two documents in his own hand: the Confessio and a letter denouncing a British warlord for enslaving his converts. Almost everything else attached to him — the snakes, the shamrock, the date of his death — is later tradition. His name was considered too sacred to give to children in Ireland for centuries, and Gilla Pádraig, servant of Patrick, was used instead; direct use is comparatively recent. Padraic and Pádraig are variant spellings, and Patrick is the English form.
Padraig in use
Padraig ranks 95th in Northern Ireland with 25 births in 2024 and 185th in Ireland, so the North uses it more heavily relative to its size. It is falling in our data from a peak in 2009, and our records carry it from 1982. Outside the island it barely registers — 2,793rd in England and Wales — while Patrick itself remains widely used.
How popular is Padraig?
In 2025, Padraig was given to 5 babies in Ireland, ranking #625 that year. It is a rare choice.
Where Padraig 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.
How Padraig is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Pádraig | Pádraig is Padraig written with a fada in Ireland, and the spelling parents there overwhelmingly choose: it ranks #185 in Ireland, against #625 for Padraig. | 220 |
Names that peaked alongside Padraig
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Padraig also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Padraig over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Padraig
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.
Padraig 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 Padraig
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Padraig — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Padraig
What does the name Padraig mean?
Padraig means "nobleman," from the Latin patricius, a member of the Roman senatorial class.
How do you pronounce Padraig?
PAW-drig, two syllables.
Was Saint Patrick Irish?
No. He was a Romano-British Christian taken to Ireland as a slave, who returned later as a missionary.
Is Padraig the Irish for Patrick?
Yes. Pádraig with a fada is the standard Irish spelling.
How popular is the name Padraig?
In 2025, Padraig was given to 5 babies in Ireland, ranking #625 that year. It is a rare choice.
Is Padraig a girl's or a boy's name?
Padraig is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
When was Padraig most popular?
Padraig peaked in 1981, when 193 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Padraig?
Padraig is usually shortened to Paddy.
Is Padraig a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Padraig currently ranks #95 in Ireland. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.