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

Patrick, 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 Patrick surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Patrick in America

Patrick is the 552nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Patrick surname appeared 60,845 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 21 people would have the surname Patrick.

We can also compare 2010 data for Patrick 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 Patrick

The surname Patrick has its origins in Ireland and is derived from the Latin name Patricius, meaning "son of a noble father". It is thought to have been brought to Ireland by Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, who was born in Roman Britain in the 5th century AD.

The name Patrick first appears in Irish records in the 7th century, with the earliest known reference being to a Bishop Patrick who attended the Synod of Tara in 697 AD. By the 9th century, the name had become widespread across Ireland, with many notable figures bearing the surname.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname Patrick is found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a "Patrick mac Fethgna" in the year 857 AD. The name is also found in the Annals of Innisfallen, another important Irish manuscript, which refers to a "Patrick Ua Muireadhaigh" in the year 1016 AD.

In the 12th century, the name Patrick began to spread beyond Ireland as a result of the Anglo-Norman invasion. It appeared in English records such as the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as "Patricius". The surname was also found in Scotland, where it was often anglicized to "Patrickson" or "Patterson".

Notable historical figures with the surname Patrick include Saint Patrick himself, who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century. Leabhar na Nucongbhála, an Irish manuscript from the 14th century, mentions a "Patrick O'Heyne" who was Bishop of Connor in 1349.

In the 16th century, Richard Patrick was an English Catholic martyr who was executed in 1593 for denying the spiritual supremacy of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was Samuel Patrick, an English theologian and bishop who lived from 1589 to 1672.

In more recent history, Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin (1770-1840), known as the "Apostle of the Alleghenies", was a Russian prince who became a Catholic priest and missionary in Pennsylvania. Mary Melinda Patrick (1841-1931) was an American educator and founder of the Virginia Industrial School for Girls in 1915.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Patrick

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

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 Patrick 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 Patrick 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 Patrick was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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