Patsy
Patsy is a given name often used as a diminutive of the feminine given name Patricia or sometimes the masculine name Patrick, or occasionally other names containing the syllable "Pat". Among Italian Americans, it is often used as a pet name for Pasquale.
- English
- Irish
Meaning & Origin of Patsy
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Patsy is a given name often used as a diminutive of the feminine given name Patricia or sometimes the masculine name Patrick, or occasionally other names containing the syllable "Pat". Among Italian Americans, it is often used as a pet name for Pasquale.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
- Irish
The Story of Patsy
As a girl name
American parents first put Patsy on the record books as a girl name in 1880, with 15 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1941, when 4,788 Patsys were born — ranking #52 that year. About 34% of every Patsy on record arrived during the 1940s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Patsy ranks #6,671 for girls with 17 births, rising sharply (+16% over the past five years). All told, over 119K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
Patsy first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1886, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1921: 324 births, good for #326 nationwide. About 38% of every Patsy on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. Patsy last appeared in the published SSA data in 1992, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 8K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Patsy
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Patsy. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Patsy
Phonetically similar names — useful when Patsy is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Patsy
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About the name Patsy
Patsy is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 119K births in the dataset. Patsy's peak popularity came in 1941 when it ranked #52. Use the chart and map above to compare Patsy's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1941 →
- Names of the 1940s →
- Names starting with "P" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.