Padriac
A masculine Irish name meaning "noble" or "having a high patriarchal status".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Padriac. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Padriac today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Padriac births was 1992 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Padriac. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Padriac. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1992
5 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
1992 SSA rank
#9,436
Tracked since 1992
Popularity
Padriac: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Padriac by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Padriac during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Padriac
Padriac is a masculine given name of Irish origin, derived from the Irish Gaelic word "Padraig," which is itself a variation of the Latin name "Patricius." The name Patricius means "noble" or "patrician," referring to an aristocratic or high-born individual.
The name Padriac traces its roots back to the 5th century AD when St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was born. St. Patrick, whose birth name was likely Maewyn Succat, was given the Roman name Patricius when he became a priest. His influence in spreading Christianity throughout Ireland led to the widespread popularity of the name Padraig, and its various spellings, including Padriac.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Padriac can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history dating back to the 15th century. The Annals mention a Padriac Ua Coindealban, who was the Bishop of Raphoe in County Donegal, Ireland, in the late 12th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Padriac. One of the most famous was Padriac Pearse (1879-1916), a Irish republican revolutionary, poet, and one of the leaders of the Easter Rising against British rule in 1916. He was executed for his role in the uprising, and is considered a key figure in the Irish nationalist movement.
Another well-known Padriac was Padriac Colum (1881-1972), an Irish poet, novelist, dramatist, and biographer. He was a significant figure in the Irish literary revival, and his works helped to popularize Irish folklore and mythology on an international scale.
Padriac O'Conaire (1882-1928) was an Irish writer and journalist who is regarded as one of the most important figures in the revival of modern Irish literature. His short stories, written in the Irish language, are considered among the finest examples of modern Irish prose.
In the world of sports, Padriac Fallon (1905-1935) was an Irish hurler who played as a right corner-forward for the Wexford senior team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest hurlers of all time and was a key member of the Wexford team that won the All-Ireland Championship in 1955 and 1956.
Padriac Harnan (1917-2003) was an Irish politician and member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Fianna Fáil party from 1957 to 1981, representing the constituency of Sligo-Leitrim.
People
Padriac + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Padriac as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Padriac: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Padriac?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Padriac going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Padriac a common name?
We classify Padriac as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Padriac most popular?
The single biggest year for Padriac was 1992, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Padriac is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Padriac in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Padriac a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Padriac in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Padriac still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Padriac in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Padriac can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Padriac?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.