Pet form of Patricia, from Latin 'patricius' meaning noble or patrician.
Patty descends from Patricia, the feminine form of Patricius — a Latin name meaning "of noble birth" or "patrician." The patrician class in ancient Rome were the ruling elite, so the name carries an embedded sense of dignity and social standing, even as its diminutive form Patty radiates the opposite: warmth, accessibility, and an almost deliberate informality. The name had enormous cultural visibility in mid-20th-century America.
Patty Hearst, the newspaper heiress turned symbol of a turbulent era, brought it into the headlines. Patty Duke won an Academy Award at 16 for her portrayal of Helen Keller and later starred in her own television series. The Peanuts character Peppermint Patty, introduced by Charles Schulz in 1966, gave the name a tomboy independence that resonated with generations of readers.
Even "Patty" as American slang for a hamburger patty reflects the name's deep embedding in everyday cultural life. By the 1990s, Patty as a given name began to feel dated, overtaken by Patricia as the formal choice or newer names entirely. But names follow cycles, and Patty — along with its mid-century companions Peggy, Betty, and Dotty — is beginning to attract renewed appreciation from parents who find the no-nonsense, cheerful directness of the era charming. It is a name that never pretended to be anything other than what it is.