unisex name
Pat
PAT
- Origin English
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 1
- Letters 3
- Births on record 66,955
Northern Ireland
#439
2020 births
Pat is one of the most evenly divided names on this site — about 60 percent of the births in our records are female, because it shortens both Patricia and Patrick and neither side ever won.
- Pat is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1947, when 2,544 babies were given the name.
- It has largely dropped out of use.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Pat over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2010s. The striped bar is the 2010s, still in progress — it covers 2010 to 2014, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 220 |
| 1890s | 278 |
| 1900s | 439 |
| 1910s | 1,777 |
| 1920s | 5,241 |
| 1930s | 16,772 |
| 1940s | 21,637 |
| 1950s | 10,076 |
| 1960s | 8,930 |
| 1970s | 1,029 |
| 1980s | 296 |
| 1990s | 117 |
| 2000s | 33 |
| 2010s (to 2014) | 10 |
What Pat means
Pat means nobleman or noblewoman. The Latin patricius described the hereditary Roman aristocracy, and the short form serves Patrick and Patricia equally without distinguishing between them.
Where Pat comes from
Pat shortens Patrick and Patricia alike, from the Latin patricius — a member of the patrician order, built on pater, a father. Rome's patricians were the families claiming descent from the original senate, and the whole early republic turned on their conflict with the plebeians. Patrick, the Romano-British missionary to Ireland, wrote of himself using the Latin name, and Patricia was coined much later as its feminine.
Pat in use
Pat peaked in the United States in 1947, when 2,544 babies were registered, and our data marks it faded. It charts in none of the six markets we track in the most recent year, despite 66,955 lifetime births. About 60 percent of those births are female, which makes it one of the most evenly divided names on this site.
How popular is Pat?
In 2014, Pat was given to 5 babies in the United States. It was given to fewer than five babies in the most recent year of published US data.
Where Pat is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Pat
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Pat also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Pat over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Pat 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 Pat
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Pat — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Pat
What does the name Pat mean?
Nobleman or noblewoman — the Latin patricius, built on pater, a father.
Is Pat a boys' or girls' name?
Both. About 60 percent of the births in our records are female — one of the most even splits here.
Was Patricia always a name?
No — it was coined as a feminine of Patrick long after Patrick was established.
Is Pat still used?
Our data marks it faded. It charts in none of our six markets in the current year.
How popular is the name Pat?
In 2014, Pat was given to 5 babies in the United States. It was given to fewer than five babies in the most recent year of published US data.
How many syllables are in Pat?
Pat has 1 syllable.
When was Pat most popular?
Pat peaked in 1947, when 2,544 babies were given the name. It has largely dropped out of use.