Contents [hide]

Patterson History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Sources

Patterson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland
England

Etymology of Patterson

What does the name Patterson mean?

The root of the ancient Dalriadan-Scottish name Patterson is the personal name Patrick.

Early Origins of the Patterson family

The surname Patterson was first found in Ross-shire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rois) a former county, now part of the Council Areas of Highland and Western Isles in Northern Scotland, which emerged from the Gaelic lordship of the Earl of Ross. The ancestral home of the Clan Pheadirean (Patersons) was on the north side of Lochfyne. Moving from the Gaelic into English spellings resulted in the typical wide range of surname spellings. By example, William Patrison and John Patonson, a 'gentillmen,' were witnesses in Aberdeen in 1446, Donald Patyrson was admitted burgess of Aberdeen in 1494, Robert Patersoun was 'capitane of ane were schip of Dundee' in 1544, Fyndlay Patersoun had a tack of the lands of Owar Elrik from the Abbey of Cupar in 1557, and so on. 1

Early History of the Patterson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Patterson research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1604, 1632, 1658, 1679, 1691, 1700, 1706, 1708, 1719, 1727 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Patterson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Patterson Spelling Variations

Historical recordings of the name Patterson include many spelling variations. They include They are the result of repeated translations of the name from Gaelic to English and inconsistencies in spelling rules. Patterson, Paterson, Pattersen, Patteson, Pattison and many more.

Early Notables of the Patterson family

John Paterson (1604-1679), Bishop of Ross; John Paterson (1632-1708), the last Archbishop of Glasgow, Bishop of Galloway, Bishop of Edinburgh; and William Pattison (1706-1727), an English poet. Sir William Paterson (1658-1719), a Scottish trader and banker, one of the founders of the Bank of England. One story claims "he came from Scotland in his younger years, with a pack on...
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Patterson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Patterson World Ranking

the United States, the name Patterson is the 87^th most popular surname with an estimated 228,804 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Patterson is ranked the 177^th most popular surname with an estimated 20,205 people with that name. 3 And in Australia, the name Patterson is the 198^th popular surname with an estimated 16,465 people with that name. 4 New Zealand ranks Patterson as 153^rd with 3,299 people. 5 The United Kingdom ranks Patterson as 276^th with 22,053 people. 6

Migration of the Patterson family to Ireland

Some of the Patterson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Patterson migration to the United States +

Descendents of Dalriadan-Scottish families still populate many communities across North America. They are particularly common in Canada, since many went north as United Empire Loyalists at the time of the American War of Independence. Much later, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the highland games and Clan societies that now dot North America sprang up, allowing many Scots to recover their lost national heritage. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Patterson, or a variant listed above:

Patterson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

David Patterson who settled in Boston in 1651
Edward Patterson, who arrived in Hingham, Massachusetts in 1655 7
Andrew Patterson who settled in New Jersey in 1685
Andrew Patterson, who landed in Perth Amboy, NJ in 1685 7

Patterson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Abraham Patterson, who arrived in New England in 1738 7
Elizabeth Patterson, who landed in Virginia in 1740 7

Patterson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Wm. Patterson, Irish settler who landed in New Jersey in 1811 aboard the ship "Protection"
Eliza Patterson, Irish settler who landed in New Jersey in 1811 aboard the ship "Protection"
Archibald Patterson, aged 25, who landed in North Carolina in 1812 7
Arthur Patterson, aged 44, who arrived in New York in 1812 7
Adam Patterson, aged 30, who landed in New York in 1812 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Patterson Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Harry Howard Patterson, who landed in Alabama in 1927 7

Patterson migration to Canada +

Patterson Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Ann Patterson, who arrived in Pictou, Nova Scotia in 1773
John Patterson who arrived on the Hector, Pictou County in 1773
James Patterson, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1783
Mr. Alex Patterson U.E. who settled in New Brunswick c. 1784 member of the Cape Ann Association 8
Mr. Archibald Patterson U.E. who settled in St. Andrews, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Patterson Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Dolly Patterson who settled in Charlottetown, PEI in 1806
William Patterson, aged 18, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Protector" in 1834
Ann Patterson, aged 26, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Protector" in 1834
Ann Patterson, aged 26, a spinster, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Protector" in 1834
Easter Patterson, aged 32, a spinster, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Highlander" in 1834
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Patterson migration to Australia +

Patterson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Patterson, British settler who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Fortune And Alexander" on 31st December 1805, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. Isaac Patterson, (b. 1797), aged 22, English convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
William Patterson, Scottish convict from Edinburgh, who was transported aboard the "Agamemnon" on April 22, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. Walter Patterson, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 8th April 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
Robert Patterson, a stone-mason, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Patterson migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Patterson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mary Patterson, aged 18, a housemaid, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Birman" in 1842
Robert Patterson, aged 39, a gardener, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Birman" in 1842
Ellen Patterson, aged 39, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Birman" in 1842
Jane Patterson, aged 13, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Birman" in 1842
William Patterson, aged 15, a painter, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Birman" in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Patterson (post 1700) +

Frederick Douglass Patterson (1901-1988), American academic, President of what is now Tuskegee University (1935-1953) and founder of the United Negro College Fund (1944), recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Willis Charles Patterson (1930-2025), American bass-baritone, conductor, editor, music arranger and professor emeritus/Associate Dean of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance
James Brendan Patterson (b. 1947), American author and philanthropist, known for Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, and Women's Murder Club
Mary Jane Patterson (1840-1894), American educator born to a enslaved mother and a freeborn father, the first African-American woman to receive a B.A degree
Daryl Alan Patterson (1943-2025), American right-handed baseball pitche, played professional baseball (1965-1975), including parts of five seasons in Major League Baseball with the Detroit Tigers (1968-1971), Oakland Athletics (1971), St. Louis Cardinals (1971), and Pittsburgh Pirates (1974)
James Lloydovich Patterson (1933-2025), Russian-American writer, naval officer, and child actor of African American and White Russian descent
Haywood Patterson (1911-1952), American teenage hobo, one of the Scottsboro Boys, accused of rape aboard a train, convicted and escaped prison to publish his book The Scottsboro Boy, finally receiving a full posthumous pardon on November 21, 2013
John Malcolm Patterson (1921-2021), American politician, 44th Governor of Alabama (1959-1963)
Jarrod Zane Patterson (1973-2020), American Major League Baseball third baseman
... (Another 323 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Patterson family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. Robert Stuart Patterson (1876-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Calgary, Alberta, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 13
Mr. John Rea Patterson (1882-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Calgary, Alberta, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 14
Mr. Patterson, British Able Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 14
Mr. Patterson, British Ordinary Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 15
Norman Minter Patterson (d. 1939), British Midshipman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 15
... (Another 10 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Patterson Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Pro Rege et grege
Motto Translation: For King and people.

Sources +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Agamemnon voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1820 with 179 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agamemnon/1820
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html