How common is the surname Patterson?

205,423 people in the United States had the surname Patterson in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,503 Americans. It ranked 117th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Patterson?

James Patterson, American author, followed by Clair Cameron Patterson.

Where is the surname Patterson most common?

Wikidata records people named Patterson in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 1 other country.

How do you pronounce Patterson?

Patterson is /ˈpætəɹ.sən/, 3 syllables.

Is the surname Patterson getting more or less common?

More common. 198,557 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 205,423 in 2010, up 3.5%.

What are other spellings of Patterson?

Paterson, Patteson and Pattison.

The surname Patterson

An English patronymic surname, carried by 205,423 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈpætəɹ.sən/ 3 syllables Soundex P362

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Patterson is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

English origin

From Middle English Pate, short form of Patrick, + -son.

Patterson is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 1,446 English surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 205,423 people named Patterson in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 1,503 Americans. That is up 3.5% since 2000, when the Census counted 198,557.

#117

rank among US surnames

205,423

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+3.5%

change since 2000 (was #104)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#108	Butler	218,847	1,411
#109	Henderson	218,393	1,414
#110	Barnes	218,241	1,415
#111	Gonzales	214,758	1,438
#112	Fisher	214,703	1,438
#113	Vasquez	212,781	1,451
#114	Simmons	210,182	1,469

Who is named Patterson

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

67% of people named Patterson identified as white (not Hispanic), 27% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 67%
Black (not Hispanic) 27%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.4%
Two or more races 2.4%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.7%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Pattersons

55 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

James Patterson
American author, born 1947
Clair Cameron Patterson
American chemist and geochemist (1922–1995)
Floyd Patterson
American heavyweight boxer (1935-2006)
Eleanor Patterson
Australian athletics competitor, born 1996
Carly Patterson
American artistic gymnast and rock singer (born 1988)
Scott Patterson
American actor, born 1958
David A. Patterson
American computer scientist, born 1947
Gerald Patterson
Australian tennis player (1895–1967)
Marnette Patterson
American actress and singer, born 1980
Patrick Patterson
American basketball player (born 1989)
Robert P. Patterson
American federal judge, Undersecretary of War, later Secretary of War (1891-1952)
Elizabeth Patterson
American actress (1874-1966)

Notable Pattersons come mostly from the United States (45), Australia (7) and the United Kingdom (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Surnames that sound like Patterson

Patterson has the Soundex code P362, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code P362.

Other English surnames

All 1,446 English surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Patterson come from?: From Middle English Pate, short form of Patrick, + -son.
How common is the surname Patterson?: 205,423 people in the United States had the surname Patterson in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,503 Americans. It ranked 117th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Patterson?: In the 2010 Census, 67% of people named Patterson identified as white (not Hispanic), and 27% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Patterson?: James Patterson, American author, followed by Clair Cameron Patterson.
Where is the surname Patterson most common?: Wikidata records people named Patterson in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 1 other country.
How do you pronounce Patterson?: Patterson is /ˈpætəɹ.sən/, 3 syllables.
What type of surname is Patterson?: Patterson is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Patterson getting more or less common?: More common. 198,557 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 205,423 in 2010, up 3.5%.
What are other spellings of Patterson?: Paterson, Patteson and Pattison.