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

Languages: This boy's name is used in Irish Gaelic.

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.