Patty

About Patty

Patty is best known as a short form of Patricia, carrying a Latin meaning connected with nobility. Its earlier history is different: it began as a form of Matty, a nickname for Martha, meaning “lady” in Aramaic. The two routes share the familiar pronunciation PAT-ee.

From Martha to Patricia

Patty’s older use developed from Matty, a seventeenth-century diminutive of Martha. Changes between initial consonants are part of the history of several English nicknames, and Patty preserved a connection with Martha before its later association became dominant.

Patricia is the feminine form of Latin Patricius, meaning “nobleman” or “patrician.” In that family, Patty belongs beside Pat, Patti, Pattie, and Patsy. The familiar sound therefore has two historical backgrounds rather than one meaning that applies to every use.

Patti and Pattie are close spelling alternatives. Mattie retains a more visible link with the older Martha route, while Tricia and Trish come from another part of Patricia. Patty itself has two syllables and stress at the beginning.

Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker

Patty Duke played Helen Keller in Arthur Penn’s film The Miracle Worker, adapted from William Gibson’s stage play. Anne Bancroft played Annie Sullivan, the teacher working to establish communication with the young Keller.

The story depends on the difficult relationship between pupil and teacher and on Sullivan’s efforts to overcome the barriers surrounding Helen. Duke and Bancroft carried their stage performances into the film.

At the 1963 Academy Awards, honoring films released in 1962, Duke won supporting actress and Bancroft won actress. Those two awards give Patty a precise connection with one of the best-known screen dramatizations of Keller’s childhood.

Patty Berg and women’s golf

Golfer Patty Berg helped establish the Ladies Professional Golf Association in 1950. One of its thirteen founders, she served as its first president from 1950 to 1952.

Her playing record was substantial before the association existed. Of her sixty professional victories, twenty-two came before the LPGA’s founding. Her fifteen major championship titles included the 1946 U.S. Women’s Open.

Berg also gave large numbers of golf clinics and exhibitions, introducing the game through demonstration as well as competition. She had turned professional in 1940 and represented Wilson Sporting Goods throughout her professional career.

Her connection with Patty therefore includes both athletic achievement and the work of building a professional organization. The name appears in the history of women’s sport as well as in film.

American popularity

Patty’s strongest American year for girls was 1959, with 3,113 births and a rank of #140. It was given to 109 girls in 1980, showing how sharply use had fallen after its mid-century peak.

In 2025 the SSA recorded five girls named Patty. That count concerns Patty as the registered name; it does not include people named Patricia or Martha who use it informally.

How popular is Patty?

In 2025, Patty ranked #16,667 among girls in the United States, with 5 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1880; its largest annual count was 3,113 in 1959. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.