Patton
A surname that most likely began as a place-name byname in England or as a short form of Patrick in Scotland and Ireland.
The #506 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 4,657 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The historical sources point in more than one direction. Some treat Patton as a locational surname, from a place-name in northern England, while others connect it with Pat, a pet form of Patrick, plus the diminutive ending -on. In Irish and Scottish usage, it can also be understood as an Anglicized form related to Patrick-based names. Because these explanations overlap in the old dictionaries, the surname is best given as probably having multiple independent origins.
History
In England, Patton was recorded as a surname in several counties and was sometimes explained from local place-names in Shropshire, Yorkshire, and Cheshire. In Scottish and Irish contexts, it may also have developed as a variant or anglicized form connected with Patrick and related surnames such as Paton or Pattinson. The name is well established in the modern English-speaking world, especially in the United States, where it is fairly common.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname dictionaries did not agree on whether Patton was mainly a place-name surname or a Patrick-based nickname surname, so it has a built-in double history.
From the historical record
“2 for Pattinson, q.v. PATTON, V. Paton. PATTRICK, V. Patrick. PAUL (A.-Lat. ; A.-Fr.-Lat; ) Little [Gr. IlaOXof, Lat. Paulus —paul-us, little] Wiclif (1380) has the spelling Poul{e.g. 1. Cor. 1. 1.:' Paul depid apostle ofihesus”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Patton
- George S. Patton (1885–1945)
- Paula Patton (b. 1975)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.