Pat

Meaning: Its source is Patricius, a Latin name meaning "Aristocrat."

Nickname For: Patrick

Popularity: The name Pat ranked 457th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

Though this name has fluctuated in use, it has been quietly present throughout the last century.

Narrative: St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was a Roman citizen by birth. As a young boy, he was stolen away from his British home and enslaved by Irish raiders. He escaped, but later returned to Ireland and succeeded in Christianizing the entire country.

This mystical figure inspired such reverence that for hundreds of years the Irish generally refrained from giving his name to their sons. In modern times this custom has changed, and the name has enjoyed steady popularity on both sides of the Atlantic throughout the 20th century.

Note that the Latin original, Patricius, was really a title. The aristocrat known to history as St. Patrick was known to his family by the Breton personal name Sucat.

Arts and Music

Pat Metheny (born 1954)
American musician.
- Jazz guitarist (see list of Guitarists)
Pat Oliphant (born 1935)
American cartoonist.
- Political cartoonist (see list of Cartoonists)

Sports

Pat Borders
Baseball player.
- 1992 World Series Most Valuable Player (see list of World Series Most Valuable Players)
Pat Cash
- 1987 Wimbledon tennis champion (see list of Wimbledon Tennis Champions)
Pat Day
Jockey.
- 1992 Kentucky Derby winner (see list of Jockeys Who Have Won the Kentucky Derby)
Pat Flaherty
Race-car driver.
- 1956 Indianapolis 500 winner (see list of Indianapolis 500 Winners)
Pat Gellick
- 1993 Sporting News Man of the Year (see list of Winners of the Sporting News Man of the Year Award)
Pat Hentgen
Baseball player.
- 1996 American League Cy Young Award winner (see list of American League winners of the Cy Young Award)
Pat Listach
Baseball player.
- 1992 American League Rookie of the Year (see list of American League Rookies of the Year)
Pat Sullivan
American football player.
- 1971 Heisman Memorial Trophy winner (see list of Heisman Trophy Winners)
Pat O'Hara Wood
- 1914, 1920, 1922-23 Australian Open tennis champion (see list of Australian Open Tennis Champions)
Pat Zachry
Baseball player.
- 1976 National League Rookie of the Year (see list of National League Rookies of the Year)

Stage and Screen

Pat Boone (born 1934)
American singer and actor.
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television (see list of Television Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording (see list of Recording Personalites with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
Pat Buttram (born 1917)
American actor.
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television (see list of Television Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
Pat Corley (born 1930)
American actor.
- Portrays Phil (see list of Actors on ''Murphy Brown'')
Pat Sajak (born 1946)
Host of television's ''Wheel of Fortune.''
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television (see list of Television Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)

The Literary World

Pat Conroy (born 1945)
American novelist.
- Wrote The Great Santini (see list of Prose Writers of the 20th Century)


Patti
Pete
Piet
Phil
Pattie
Patty
Paddy

Teasing Nicknames:

Patty Cake
Used in reference to a children's hand-clapping game.
Peppermint Patty
Hamburger Pattie
Fat Pat
Pat Splat
Patty Watty

Associations:

The droppings of domestic cattle are often refered to as ''cow patties.''

''Pattie'' is a British slang term for a first-class university degree.

Meaning: Its source is Patricius, a Latin name meaning "Aristocrat."

Languages: This girl's name is used in English.

Nickname For: Patricia

Popularity: The name Pat ranked 387th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name is highly rated in the 1990 U.S. Census popularity survey of all ages, but after 1960 does not appear in the state data listing the most popular baby names.

Narrative: Princess Patricia, granddaughter of Britain's Queen Victoria, helped to popularize this name at the beginning of the 20th century. The nicknames Pat and Patty were soon associated with it, although, somewhat surprisingly, both originated as pet forms of Martha and Matilda.

Arts and Music

Pat Andrejewski
- Pat Benatar (see list of Nicknames of Musicians)

Leadership

Pat House
- 26th Most Powerful Woman, EVP , Siebel Systems (see list of 2000 Fortune 50 Most Powerful Women in American Business)
Pat Russo
- 10th Most Powerful Woman, EVP Strategy, Business Development, & Corporate Operations, Lucent Technologies (see list of 1999 Fortune 50 Most Powerful Women in American Business)

Miscellaneous

Pat Farrar
- 1958 Mademoiselle Award winner (see list of Mademoiselle Award Winners)
Pat McCormick
American diver.
- 1955 Mademoiselle Award winner (see list of Mademoiselle Award Winners)

Sports

Pat Bradley
- 1981 U.S. Women''s Open golf tournament winner (see list of U.S. Open Golf Champions)
- 1986 Ladies'' Professional Golf Association champion (see list of LPGA Champions)
Pat Costello
- Member of the Women''s International Bowling Congress Hall of Fame (see list of Women's International Bowling Congress Hall of Fame)
Pat Dryer
- Member of the Women''s International Bowling Congress Hall of Fame (see list of Women's International Bowling Congress Hall of Fame)
Pat McCormick
American diver.
- 1952, 1956 Olympic gold medal winner for Springboard Diving (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Springboard Diving)
- 1952, 1956 Olympic gold medal winner for Platform Diving (see list of Olympic Gold Medalists in Platform Diving)
- 1956 Associated Press Athlete of the Year (see list of Associated Press Athletes of the Year)