Total births
540
Boys' name · since 1912
Patterson
Patterson has 540 recorded births since 1912 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2013 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- 540
- total births
- 1912–2025
- years on record
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 21%
- born in that decade
Patterson sits outside today's top ranks for boys, with 540 recorded since 1912.
Patterson has 540 recorded births among boys since 1912, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1912 to 2025.
- 540 total births
- 1912–2025 years on record
- 2010s peak decade
- 21% born in that decade
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
540 boys have been named Patterson since 1912, peaking in the 2010s, last recorded in 2025.
- 540
- total births
- 1912–2025
- years on record
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 21%
- born in that decade
2010s
Peak decade
21% of everyone ever named Patterson was born in this single decade.
2013
Single peak year
16 babies were named Patterson in 2013 - its busiest year on record.
Patterson's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Patterson splits its recorded history at 1968: 52% of all births land in the more recent half, 48% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1912 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2013 peak of 16 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Patterson at a glance
Last recorded 2025Peak year
2013
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1912
Patterson popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1912–2025
- Peak year (2013)
- 16
- Annual births at peak, across 114 years of records
Patterson popularity over time - girls
20 total births recorded since 1993 (Patterson as girls' name)
Patterson by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Patterson's strongest decade.
111 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Patterson births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 34
1910s
34 births
- 1920s
1920s
47 births
- 1930s 22
1930s
22 births
- 1940s
1940s
66 births
- 1950s
1950s
57 births
- 1960s 44
1960s
44 births
- 1970s 10
1970s
10 births
- 1980s 26
1980s
26 births
- 1990s 27
1990s
27 births
- 2000s
2000s
72 births
- 2010s
2010s
111 births
- 2020s 24
2020s
24 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 111 births (21% of all-time use).
How Patterson compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Patterson's total volume
Patterson vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Patterson? ▼
Patterson has been given to 540 babies in the U.S. since 1912, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 2025. 16 babies were born in 2013, its single highest year.
When was Patterson most popular? ▼
Patterson was most popular in the 2010s decade with 111 total births. The single peak year was 2013.
How long has the name Patterson been used? ▼
Records for Patterson go back to 1912, giving 114 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Patterson? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Patrick, Pat, Patsy, Patricia, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Patterson's data
- Patterson's decade-level peak was the 2010s (111 total births); usage has since declined to 24 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Patterson
Nearby Names Like Patterson
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Patterson
Patrick Boy
#221 686,590 births
Pat Boy
26,732 births
Patsy Boy
7,713 births
Patricia Boy
4,961 births
Patricio Boy
#2290 4,619 births
Compare Patterson side by side: Patterson vs Patrick Patterson vs Pat Patterson vs Patsy
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1912–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Patterson: Baby Name Since 1912 - 540 Births, Peak 2013." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/patterson. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Patterson draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.