Patrick Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Patrick Family History

Patrick Family History

The ancient origin of the name Patrick was found in the irishsurnames.com archives.

Surnames developed a wide number of variants over the centuries. Many different spelling variations of the same name can be traced back to a single original root. Also, when a bearer of a name emigrated from Ireland it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books upon arrival at their new location. Some names have dozens of spelling variations. Some Surnames were also altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically, by their sound, and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another. This was especially so in Ireland where most Gaelic names were 'anglicized' at some stage.

Variants of the name Patrick include Kilpatrick and McPatrick. The great ancestor of these families was Giolla Padraig, the warlike chief of Ossory who lived in the tenth century. Parts of the sept are now widespread throughout Ireland, with the greatest numbers in Leix. The most important family, whose head was Lord of Upper Ossory, ruled over Leix and Kilkenny. They were one of the first Irish septs who lost considerably through their loyalty to King James II. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries variations to the name began in the forms of Kilpatrick, Patrickson and Gilpatrick and are still very much in use today. The form McPatrick is used frequently in Scotland where they are a sept of the Clan Lamont. The Patrick family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Patrick descendants.