Find out how popular the last name Pat is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Pat.

Pat, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Pat surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Pat in America

Pat is the 36585th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Pat surname appeared 611 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Pat.

We can also compare 2010 data for Pat to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Pat

The surname PAT originated in England and Scotland during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "pætt," meaning a small path or track. This name likely referred to someone who lived near a well-trodden path or an area with many small trails.

In its early forms, the surname was often spelled as Patte or Patt. Some of the earliest recorded instances of this name date back to the 13th century, with mentions in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire and the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire.

One notable historical reference to this surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named Robert Patt is listed as holding estates in Gloucestershire. This particular entry suggests that the name had already become established in England before the Norman Conquest.

During the 14th century, the surname PAT appeared in various ecclesiastical records and parish registers across England. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was John Patt, who served as the Mayor of Salisbury in 1349.

In Scotland, the name PAT can be traced back to the 15th century, with several documented instances in the Exchequer Rolls and other historical records. One notable bearer of this surname was William Patt, who was appointed as the Bishop of Galloway in 1451.

As time progressed, the surname PAT also became associated with certain place names, such as Patton in Shropshire and Pateley Bridge in Yorkshire. These place names likely originated from the Old English words "pætt" and "tun" (meaning a farm or village), further reinforcing the connection between the surname and its geographic roots.

Among the notable historical figures bearing the surname PAT, one can mention:

1. John Patt (c. 1450-1518), an English scholar and theologian who served as the Principal of St. Edmund Hall, Oxford.
2. Henry Patt (1554-1625), a renowned English architect and surveyor known for his work on various churches and manor houses in the 16th century.
3. James Patt (1676-1732), a Scottish mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
4. Elizabeth Patt (1820-1892), a British artist and painter who specialized in portraits and landscape scenes.
5. Robert Patt (1878-1964), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Newcastle-under-Lyme from 1922 to 1945.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Pat

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Pat.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Pat was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Pat has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Pat was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Pat, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!