(English) Descendant of Patrick (noble or patrician).

The surname Patterson derives from a first name and means ‘son of Patrick’. The first name Patrick has a long history and goes back to Roman times, where it comes from the Latin word ‘patriots’, meaning ‘nobleman’. The word ‘patrician’ comes from the same source, and the popular girl’s name Patricia is the feminine form.

The popularity of the first name Patrick in this country originated largely from the fifth-century saint of the same name. St Patrick almost certainly came originally from Scotland, but he is famous mainly for having brought Christianity to Ireland. For this deed he is now patron saint of Ireland, and his name is easily the most popular first name there. The diminutive of the name has even become the vernacular nickname for an Irishman-Paddy.

In Scotland, the first name Patrick became synonymous for a while with Peter, and it may well be that some Scottish Pattersons originate from this other first name (Peter comes from the Greek ‘petros’ meaning ‘rock’). Scotland also tends to spell Patterson differently from the English form. The English form almost invariably has two t’s.

There are several variant surnames arising from the same original source as Patterson. The best known of these are Pattison (the form used south of the Scottish border, especially in Cumbria and Westmorland), Patton and Paton (which are from a double diminutive of Patrick, with an added Old French suffix), and the obvious Patrick.

The origins of the surname Patterson become much more apparent in the early versions found in the records-one of the earliest of which is William Patrison. He is mentioned in the 1446 records for Aberdeen.

Australian poet Andrew ‘Old Banjo’ Paterson made a memorable contribution to the nation when ‘Waltzing Matilda’ appeared in a 1917 collection of his verse. Set to music, it quickly became Australia’s unofficial anthem.

Liberal penologist Sir Alexander Paterson emphasised the rehabilitative aspects of England’s Borstal system of reformatories. He felt that it was the system’s job to spark a desire for reform within the offender, rather than try to impose it, and humanised institutions for 16- to 21-year-olds by introducing the revolutionary house system, in which groups of inmates live together with a permanent housemaster and staff. He also promoted interesting work schemes, extended education and a vigorous sports programme.

Scots-born stone-cutter Robert Paterson (1715—1801) earned his nickname ‘Old Mortality’ when he abandoned his wife and five children to devote forty years to the task of repairing and erecting headstones to martyrs.

South African novelist Alan Paton was an early protester against the iniquities of apartheid. His best-selling Cry the Beloved Country (1948) was a moving examination of his homeland’s racial problems.

Financier William Paterson founded the Bank of England in 1694. King William III approved his plan for a national bank when merchants raised £1,200,000 from shareholders and loaned it to the King at 8 per cent interest. William then granted the Bank a Royal Charter.

General George Smith Patton (1885—1945) was the hell-for-leather commander of the US 3rd Army which drove the Nazis back across France in 1944.

The only related place name in the United Kingdom is Patterdale in Cumbria. South Africa has one town called Patersen, the United States has 2, along with 5 Pattersons and one Pattisen. Australia has a Patersen river and a Patersen range while mountains in Canada’s Yukon and in California are named Patterson. New Zealand has a Patterson Inlet while the New Hebrides has a Pattersen Passage.

With about 21,000 namesakes Paterson is Scotland’s 22nd most popular surname. Thus about one out of every 250 Scots is named Paterson. (The name is not common enough throughout England and Wales to be counted separately.) Paterson is notably popular in and around Edinburgh where an estimated one in about 225 families bears the name, and in Glasgow where the figure is about one in 240. Around the world Patersons are most common in Wellington (one in 723 families), Auckland (one in 773) and Vancouver (one in 865). The United States tallies Patersons and Pattersons together-an estimated combined total of just over 207,000 makes this their 95th most popular surname.