PATEY
Recorded variant spellings include Pa-Tey
Patey is a surname of English origin that has featured in contemporary records from a variety of medieval periods and geographic locations. The name is recorded in the English, Scottish and continental records from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries and continues to be borne by a small number of individuals in the United Kingdom and in former British colonies.
One of the earliest explanations of the surname derives from a diminutive of the medieval given name Pate, itself a pet form of Patrick. The personal name Patrick comes from the Latin Patricius, meaning ‘noble’ or ‘patrician’. Consequently, the surname Patey is interpreted as indicating descent from a person named Pate or Patrick, and thus as signalling a noble or patrician ancestry.
Another line of derivation points to the medieval Anglo‑Norman French term petit, meaning ‘small’. In early medieval England the word was employed as a nickname for a small person and to distinguish the younger of two bearers of the same given name. The surname is first recorded in England in the late twelfth century and is linked to occupational and descriptive names such as Walter le Petiit in Wiltshire (1249) and John le Petit Smyth in Essex (1351).
A further explanation treats Patey as arising from the Middle English word pate, describing a person with a bald head. In many medieval communities people were identified by distinctive hairstyles, so the name was applied to those who had a close‑crop haircut. This form of the surname contains the double diminutive suffix -ey, which was frequently appended to personal names in this period.
In continental usage the surname may be traced to the Latin personal name Paschalis, meaning ‘Easter’ or ‘passable’, derived from the Greek pascha (‘Passover’). The name was associated with people living near a pass or a place where horses could be taken over a hurdle, and a number of surnames of the same origin appear in English records.
Historical documents support the variety of spellings that have been attached to this name over the centuries. The earliest surviving spelling is that of William Petie in the “Feet of Fines of Nottinghamshire” dated 1198, during the reign of King Richard I. Other forms recorded for individuals bearing the surname include Pate, Paty, Patty, Pady, Paddy, Paddie, Petty, Pettie, Petit, Petyt, Pettitt and Pittet, as well as variations such as Petitclark, Petijohan and le Petit Smyth.
In contemporary England the surname is uncommon, appearing as the 1,923rd most common surname. Approximately 2,500 people in the country carry the name, with the highest concentration in Devon, followed by Somerset and Cornwall. The name is also found in smaller numbers in Ireland and the former British colonies.
In Ireland there are about 100 bearers of the surname, with a notable presence in County Mayo, County Cork, County Kerry and County Limerick. In Canada the name is ranked 8,816th, with an estimated 200 individuals carrying the surname; the strongest concentrations are in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and British Columbia. New Zealand lists Patey as the 1,838th most common surname, with around 130 bearers chiefly in Auckland and Canterbury. In Australia the name is ranked 4,245th, with an estimated 530 people bearing the surname; Queensland and Western Australia show the highest densities.
While the surname is uncommon today, its surviving bearers maintain a legacy that reflects the breadth of its historical development. From its medieval associations with both personal characteristic and ancestral descent, to its varied spellings across different regions, the name Patey provides an enduring link to England’s linguistic and cultural past.
Typical given names associated with the Patey surname
Male
- Andrew
- Anthony
- Charles
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Keith
- Michael
- Neil
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
- William
Female
- Alison
- Ann
- Clare
- Emma
- Janet
- Jean
- Joanne
- Margaret
- Samantha
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Patey in...
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Morse
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There are approximately 966 people named Patey in the UK. That makes it roughly the 7,560th most common surname in Britain. Around 15 in a million people in Britain are named Patey.
Famous people named Patey
- William Patey - Diplomat
- George Edwin Patey - Royal Navy admiral (1859 to 1935)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.