2000
#104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 198,557
First available Census row
Per 100,000 73.60
Common Last name
Patterson
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Patrick, meaning "son of Patrick."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 226,062 Americans carry the last name Patterson. That puts it at #121 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 65.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,516 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Patterson surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Patterson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
226K
1 in 1,516
Census rank
#121
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
66.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
197K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 197,137 bearers of the surname Patterson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 65.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 121st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Patterson, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.5%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Patterson
The surname Patterson is of Scottish origin, deriving from the patronymic name meaning "son of Patrick". It is a locational name stemming from Patton or Paton, an old Scots variant of Patrick. The name first emerged in the Scottish Lowlands during the Middle Ages.
In medieval times, the name was often spelled as Pattonson, Patonson, or Patriceson. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to 1296, when a John Patonson was mentioned in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of homage pledges to King Edward I of England.
The Patterson surname can also be linked to various place names across Scotland, such as Pattonhill in Ayrshire and Paton in Berwickshire. These locations may have influenced the adoption of the name by families residing in those areas.
Notable historical figures bearing the Patterson surname include William Patterson (c. 1665-1719), a Scottish merchant and financier who played a significant role in the establishment of the Bank of England. Another notable figure was Andrew Patterson (1755-1841), a Scottish-born American soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
In literature, Samuel Lyle Patterson (1850-1918), an American author and journalist, gained recognition for his works depicting life in the American West during the late 19th century.
Other prominent individuals with the Patterson surname include Sir Walter Patterson (1857-1935), a British politician and businessman, and William Robert Patterson (1789-1869), an Irish-born American industrialist and co-founder of the Anchor Steamship Line.
The Patterson name has a rich history, originating from the Scottish Lowlands and evolving through various spellings and place associations over the centuries. Its versatility and endurance have contributed to its widespread adoption across different regions and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Patterson
Among Census respondents with the surname Patterson, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.5%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Patterson bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Patterson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.5% · 127,245
- Black or African American26.2% · 51,555
- Two or more races4.6% · 8,971
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 6,971
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1,199
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1,196
Timeline
Historical Census data for Patterson
Patterson appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#117
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 205,423
+6,866 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 69.64
Rank movement Down 13 places
2020
#121
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 197,137
-8,286 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 65.95
Rank movement Down 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #104 | 198,557 | 73.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #117 | 205,423 | 69.64 | +6,866 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 13 places |
| 2020 | #121 | 197,137 | 65.95 | -8,286 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 4 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Patterson surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #117 | #121 | -3.4% |
| Count | 205,423 | 197,137 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 69.64 | 65.95 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Patterson bearers went from 205,423 to 197,137 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #117 to #121.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Patterson
FAQ
Patterson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Patterson?
Name Census estimates that about 226,062 living Americans carry the surname Patterson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,516 residents.
How common is Patterson?
Patterson ranks #121 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 65.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 66 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 197,137 people with the surname Patterson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (226,062), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 65.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 65.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 66 of them to have the surname Patterson.
Has Patterson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Patterson went from 205,423 recorded bearers to 197,137. That is a decrease of 8,286 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #117 to #121.
What does the Census say about the background of Patterson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Patterson, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.5%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Patterson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.5% (127,245 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Patterson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.5%), Black (26.2%), Two or More Races (4.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Patterson (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Patterson mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Patrick, meaning "son of Patrick." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Patterson (65.95 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Patterson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.