Why is it Paddy's Day not Patty's Day?
Written by Ciaran Vipond on Feb 20, 2023 | 0 Comments
We are now on the final stretch to St. Patrick’s day, a global celebration of our patron saint and all things Irish held each March 17th. And around Ireland you will hear people talking about St. Patrick’s Day, or Patrick’s Day, or Paddy’s Day.
You'll hear an Irish person saying "What are you doing for St. Patrick’s Day?" or "Any plans for Patrick’s Day?" and especially "Did you have a good Paddy’s day?" But what you won't hear is "Happy Patty's Day". Why is that?
Little Patrick
For those outside of the Emerald Isle you'd be forgiven for thinking they all meant the same thing, it is St. Patrick after all. So why not Patty for short? The short form of Patrick is Pat, right? So Patty's day sounds like the right choice. Where are those rouge D’s coming from to make Paddy!? The answer lies in the Gaelic language.
Photo Credit: Siora Photography on Unsplash
The Irish for Patrick is Pádraig or Pádraic. So the diminutive works out as Paddy. Not Patty. Patty is the diminutive of the name Patricia, or as the talented cartoonist Twisteddoodles reminds us each year, another name for a hamburger.
The annual reminder #paddynotpatty pic.twitter.com/pLIWHNm5FA
— TwistedDoodles (@twisteddoodles) March 16, 2022
Photo Credit: TwistedDoodles (@twisteddoodles)
Plenty of Patrick’s
In honor of our patron saint, from the 17th century onward, many Irish men were named Patrick. The 1911 census recorded 1 in 10 with the moniker. This prevalence lead to the name Paddy becoming both an affectionate and sometimes pejorative synonym for an Irishman in many places. Thankfully the negative connotations have died down since the name was used as a slur.
Photo Credit: Jill Sauve on Unsplash
The Central Office of Statics in Ireland records that Patrick has consistently been in the top 25 boys names in Ireland since 1964. Sitting at number 19 in 2021, many Irish men that share their name with the saint will answer to the short form, Paddy. Still more babies have the name Paddy recorded on their birth certificate, skipping over the long form Patrick all together.
Patrick Dempsey and Patrick Stewart are some famous faces that share this name. But we are not sure if they will answer to Paddy!
Photo Credit: Image of Patrick Dempsy by Greg2600 (CC BY-SA 2.0) , Patrick Stewart by Maximilian Bühn (CC-BY-SA 4.0), Compilation J. Chadwick
So now you know
The Irish say Paddy's Day rather than Patty's Day because of the gaelic name for Patrick, Pádraig or Pádraic.
Want to know more?
Want to know more about the St. Patrick, the shamrock, or other symbols of Ireland? Have a look at our Ireland 101 series where we attempt to answer big questions like:
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Ciaran Vipond
My Irish Jeweler
Born in Co. Antrim and reared in Dublin, I was fascinated with Gaelic culture from an early age. I suppose it's not surprising given my mother inherited a grá for the Irish language from my grandfather, an Irish school headmaster. And that grá continues! My brother and sister are now Gaelic teachers here in Ireland, my niece is an award winning Irish dancer, and I proudly work to share Irish culture through our Irish and Celtic Jewelry at My Irish Jeweler!
I love researching and reading about the history of Irish design. It's at the core of what we do here at My Irish Jeweler. I find much of it so interesting that I have to share what I find. I hope you enjoy it!
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