Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 1941

Patsy

Meaning A diminutive of the female given name Patricia Gender Unisex · 94% girls Rank 2025 #6,059 Trend ↑ Rising 38%

A diminutive of the female given name Patricia.

Rank 2025
#6,059
among girls · ↑805 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
20
named Patsy
How common
1 in 80,363
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1941
4,868 babies
All-time total
127,161
#328 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Patsy popularity over time

127,161 babies have been named Patsy since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
1.252.53.75518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 193 5 198 20 – #433
1890s 229 21 250 25 +26% #524
1900s 385 171 556 56 +122% #487
1910s 1,206 1,845 3,051 305 +449% #470
1920s 8,228 2,895 11,123 1,112 +265% #118
1930s 36,475 1,418 37,893 3,789 +241% #52
1940s 40,282 623 40,905 4,091 +8% #52
1950s 21,734 357 22,091 2,209 -46% #117
1960s 6,919 233 7,152 715 -68% #270
1970s 1,746 84 1,830 183 -74% #565
1980s 845 50 895 90 -51% #1,335
1990s 690 11 701 70 -22% #1,436
2000s 257 – 257 26 -63% #3,221
2010s 150 – 150 15 -42% #6,067
2020s (to 2025) 109 – 109 18 +21% #6,059

Where Patsy is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 21 0.01 outside top 500
2027 23 0.01 outside top 500
2028 24 0.01 outside top 500
2029 25 0.02 outside top 500
2030 26 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Patsy

Patsy is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #6,059 in 2025 with 20 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 127,161 American babies have been named Patsy, about 94% girls and 6% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1941, when 4,868 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1940s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Patsy stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Patsy?

The median living Patsy is about 77 years old; half are between 70 and 84. An estimated 65 thousand people named Patsy are alive in the United States today.

median 77 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Patsy year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 20 #6,059 – –
2024 17 #6,864 – –
2023 18 #6,609 – –
2022 17 #6,924 – –
2021 20 #6,119 – –
2020 17 #6,857 – –
2019 11 #9,590 – –
2018 11 #9,664 – –
2017 15 #7,753 – –
2016 16 #7,519 – –
2015 16 #7,524 – –
2014 17 #7,229 – –
2013 13 #8,935 – –
2012 22 #6,067 – –
2011 12 #9,587 – –
2010 17 #7,432 – –
2009 17 #7,607 – –
2008 21 #6,511 – –
2007 14 #8,891 – –
2006 24 #5,666 – –
2005 25 #5,219 – –
2004 13 #8,603 – –
2003 46 #3,221 – –
2002 30 #4,253 – –
2001 37 #3,617 – –
2000 30 #4,150 – –
1995 55 #2,386 – –
1990 110 #1,436 – –
1985 81 #1,516 5 #7,309
1980 85 #1,444 6 #6,039
1975 143 #912 13 #3,036
1970 322 #565 12 #2,843
1965 576 #384 25 #1,586
1960 1,106 #270 32 #1,423
1955 2,013 #172 46 #1,104
1950 2,930 #117 39 #1,158
1945 3,350 #84 48 #938
1940 4,079 #57 78 #687
1935 3,797 #56 124 #518
1930 2,544 #97 218 #388
1925 706 #250 288 #344
1920 195 #493 287 #346
1915 128 #573 240 #344
1910 73 #470 26 #564
1905 41 #543 29 #400
1900 49 #487 12 #773
1895 21 #698 6 #1,053
1890 15 #714 – –
1885 21 #466 – –
1880 15 #446 – –

Famous people named Patsy

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Patsy Kensit Patsy Kensit English actress, singer and model (born 1968) Contemporary
  2. 2 Patsy Cline Patsy Cline American country singer (1932–1963) Contemporary
  3. 3 Patsy Reddy Patsy Reddy Governor-General of New Zealand from 2016 to 2021 b. 1954 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Patsy Ruth Miller Patsy Ruth Miller American actress (1904-1995) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Patsy, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Patsy?

The median living Patsy is about 77 years old. Half of all living Patsys are between 70 and 84 years old.

How many people named Patsy are alive today?

An estimated 65 thousand people named Patsy are alive in the United States, based on 127,161 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Patsy mean?

A diminutive of the female given name Patricia.

How popular is the name Patsy in 2025?

Patsy ranked #6,059 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 20 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Patsy?

127,161 babies have been named Patsy in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Patsy most popular?

Patsy peaked in 1941, when 4,868 newborns received the name.

Is Patsy a boy or girl name?

Patsy is used for both: about 94% of babies named Patsy have been girls and 6% boys.

Is the name Patsy rising or falling?

Patsy is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Patsy become more popular?

Patsy is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 26 girls named Patsy in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Patsy?

Well-known people named Patsy include Patsy Kensit (actor), Patsy Cline (singer), Patsy Reddy (politician).

Names like Patsy

Names that sound and feel close to Patsy: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Patsy with similar names → More names starting with P →