Explore the Family Name Patricia

The meaning of Patricia

Probably an altered form of a certain Italian or Spanish surname like Patrizio and Patricio, under the influence of the personal name Patricia (meaning ‘daughter of a noble father, member of the patrician class’ in Latin). — Note: It is likely that in the population figure published by the US Census Bureau (which dropped from 832 in the year 2000 to 426 in the year 2010) the personal name Patricia of some American bearers is also counted as a surname. Some of these bearers may be from countries, such as Indonesia, where (hereditary) surnames are not in general use; their personal name was thus registered as a surname only after their immigration to the US.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Patricia in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Patricia has seen a significant decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Patricia ranked as the 27,313th most popular surname, however, by 2010, it dropped to rank 49,365, marking an 80.74% decrease. The total count of individuals with the surname also fell from 832 to 426 during this period, representing a 48.8% reduction. The proportion of individuals per 100,000 with this surname similarly decreased by 54.84%, moving from 0.31 to 0.14.

20002010Change
Rank#27,313#49,365-80.74%
Count832426-48.8%
Proportion per 100k0.310.14-54.84%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Patricia

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census reports some interesting shifts linked to the surname Patricia. Between 2000 and 2010, people identifying as Hispanic with the surname Patricia saw a notable increase, rising from 14.06% to 27.93%. Additionally, those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander also grew from 1.20% to 2.11%. The Black demographic experienced a subtle increase, growing from 7.21% to 8.45%. However, the number of individuals identifying as White fell significantly from 75.48% to 59.86%. Data for individuals identifying as two or more races or American Indian and Alaskan Native were suppressed in 2010 for privacy reasons.

20002010Change
White75.48%59.86%-20.69%
Hispanic14.06%27.93%98.65%
Black7.21%8.45%17.2%
Asian/Pacific Islander1.2%2.11%75.83%
Two or More Races0.96%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native1.08%0%0%