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Patterson Family History

Patterson Name Meaning

Scottish and northern English: variant of Patrickson ‘son of Patrick ’ which was either shortened to Patrison and metathesized to Patterson or shortened from Paterickson to Patterson. Irish: in Ulster this name is of English or Scottish origin but in County Galway it was also taken by bearers of the Gaelic name Ó Caisín ‘descendant of the little curly-headed one’ (from Gaelic casín ‘curly’) which is usually Anglicized as Cussane. In addition to the confusion between Irish Gaelic casín ‘curly’ and cosán ‘path’ there has also been an erroneous assumption that the English name Patterson is somehow derived from the English word path. English: 19th-century variant of Patteson a shortened form of Pattinson .

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Catterson, Watterson, Paterson, Patteson, Anderson, Batterson

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Where is the Patterson family from?

You can see how Patterson families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Patterson family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Patterson families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 3,377 Patterson families living in Ontario. This was about 54% of all the recorded Patterson's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Patterson families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Patterson surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Patterson ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Patterson. 37% of Patterson men worked as a Farmer and 13% of Patterson women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Patterson were Carpenter and Clerk. .

View Census Data for Patterson | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    37%
  • Labourer
    7%
  • Laborer
    5%
  • Carpenter
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Stenographer
    13%
  • Housekeeper
    10%
  • Income
    8%
  • Clerk
    7%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Patterson family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1 million census records available for the last name Patterson. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Patterson census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Patterson

Passenger Lists

There are 127,000 immigration records available for the last name Patterson. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 218,000 military records available for the last name Patterson. For the veterans among your Patterson ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Patterson lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Patterson life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Patterson in 1940 was 38, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Patterson

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