PATTEN
Patten is an English surname that derives from the Middle English word paten – a wooden shoe or clog that was raised above the ground, often used in marshy or wet terrain.
The form Patten is understood to have arisen as an occupational name, applied to those who made or sold these particular shoes. In other contexts it has functioned as a topographic or locational descriptor for individuals who lived near a footpath or track, the term patten also being used to denote a path itself.
Hitherto recorded spellings include Patten, Patton, Paddon, Pedden, Paudin, Paydon and Peaden. These variants point to at least two distinct Anglo‑Saxon origins. One is locational, referring to hamlets such as Pedden west of Sandwich in Kent, Payden in the Hollingbourne district of Kent, Patine or Patten near Chelmsford in Essex, and two separate places called Patton – one near Easthope in Shropshire and the other north‑west of Kendal in Westmorland. The suffixes in these names derive either from the Old English denn (swine‑pasture) or from tun (enclosure, settlement), while the element Padda represents an Anglo‑Saxon personal name.
A second derivation is Scottish or Northern English. It derives from Pat, a pet form of the male given name Patrick (from the Latin Patricius – “son of a noble father”); the French diminutive suffix -on is appended, yielding Patton. Historical witnesses illustrate this usage: James Padyne was named as a witness in Edinburgh in 1514, and a Robert Paddon was christened at St. Giles' Cripplegate, London, on 15 September 1586.
The earliest surviving record of the family name is that of Richard Patten, who is dated to the year 1119 in the Early Records of Essex. This places the use of the name during the reign of King Henry I (1100‑1135), a period when surnames were increasingly adopted to distinguish individuals by occupation, place of origin or paternal lineage.
In contemporary times the surname appears with substantial frequency in the United Kingdom and the United States. According to recent census data, it ranks as the 4,772nd most common surname in England and the 2,269th most frequent in the United States. In Britain it is notably common in the borough of Sunderland (5th most common) and in the county of Durham (8th most common), and occurs with measure in Lancashire, Hampshire and Warwickshire. Within the United States it is particularly prominent in Massachusetts (third most common) and Rhode Island (fifth most common), with further concentrations in Texas, California and New York.
Patten is therefore a surname with deep roots in Anglo‑Saxon England, reflecting both artisan occupation and geographical affiliations, and it has travelled widely through migration, maintaining its presence in both the British Isles and North America.
Typical given names associated with the Patten surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- Graham
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Robert
- Stephen
- William
Female
- Cheryl
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Joan
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Sarah
- Sharon
- Susan
- Veronica
- Victoria
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 Patten in...
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Morse
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Patten are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Tunnock's Caramel Wafer.
There are approximately 3,546 people named Patten in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,593rd most common surname in Britain. Around 54 in a million people in Britain are named Patten.
Surname type: Occupational name
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Patten
- Chris Patten - Politician and colonial administrator
- Brian Patten - Poet
- Marguerite Patten - Chef (1915 to 2015)
- John Patten, Baron Patten - Politician
- Matthew Patten - Member of the European Parliament
- Hope Patten - Priest (1885 to 1958)
- Kyle Patten - Football player
- Mark Patten - Scottish cricketer (1901 to 1996)
- Robert Patten - Australian politician (1859 to 1940)
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.