Pat

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Pat

Pronounced PAT /ˈpæt/High

Meaning: Pat is the clipped everyday form of Patrick, from Latin patricius, 'a nobleman, a patrician.' Long the standard nickname for Patrick (and, for girls, Patricia), it was handed out as a birth name in its own right at mid-century.High

In 30 seconds: Pat is Patrick boiled down to one syllable (said 'PAT'). The parent means 'nobleman'; the short form stood alone on birth certificates for a postwar generation.

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Origin HighLatin, Irish

MeaningPat is the clipped everyday form of Patrick, from Latin patricius, 'a nobleman, a patrician.' Long the standard nickname for Patrick (and, for girls, Patricia), it was handed out as a birth name in its own right at mid-century.

U.S. rank (2014)#13520 ↗ Rising

2014 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1960

Total births (all-time)≈ 26,732

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Pat crested for boys right at the turn of the sixties, when informal short forms were freely given as full names. It comes straight from Patrick, the Irish saint's name built on Latin patricius, 'nobleman.' As a boy's name Pat had thinned to a trickle by the century's end.

A boy named Pat at his peak is now in his mid-sixties, squarely a grandfather-era name. It reads as friendly and unpretentious rather than reviving; parents today more often choose the full Patrick and let Pat stay the nickname it began as.

Did you know? Because Pat works for both Patrick and Patricia, it became the classic androgynous American nickname — a quality later played for laughs, but rooted in decades of real Pats of both sexes.

Overall data confidence 80%

References — Pat — Short form of Patrick (Lat. patricius); mid-century peak

Variations

PatrickPatric

Nicknames

PatPaddyRick

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Pat…

Patrick— the full parent name Pat shortens

Mike— a like short, one-beat mid-century boy's name

Terry— a same-era friendly clipped form used as a full name

Dale— a plain single-syllable postwar boy's name

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Pat mean?

Pat is the short form of Patrick, from Latin patricius, 'nobleman'; it carries that parent meaning.

How do you pronounce Pat?

It's said PAT /ˈpæt/ — one syllable.

Is Pat a boy or girl name?

Pat has been used for both boys and girls; this entry is the boy's name, short for Patrick.

How popular is Pat?

Pat was a familiar postwar short-form name that peaked around the turn of the sixties and has been quiet as a given name since; it hasn't come back.