Patterson surname meaning

Patterson is a patronymic: it means “son of Patrick.” The name developed in Scotland, England, Ireland, and northern border regions, where Patrick was a common Christian personal name and hereditary surnames formed from given names. Paterson is a close Scottish spelling; Pattison and Pattinson use related diminutive or suffix patterns. The surname does not identify one Patrick or one county, since unrelated families could create the same formula independently. Its core descent meaning is nevertheless clear enough for high confidence, even while a particular Patterson genealogy may follow a distinct regional path.