Patsy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Patsy |
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|---|---|
| Pronunciation | PAT-see |
| Gender | Female; sometimes Male |
| Meaning | "Noble" (i.e. a patrician) |
| Region of Origin | north England, Scotland, & Ireland |
| Origin | Latin Patricius |
| Related names | Patricia (fem), Patrick (masc) |
| Wikipedia articles | All pages beginning with Patsy |
Patsy is a given name often used as a diminutive of the feminine name Patricia or sometimes the masculine name Patrick, or occasionally other names containing the syllable "Pat" or "Pet" (such as Cleopatra, Patience, or Patrice).
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[edit] Historical usage
In older usage Patsy was also a nickname for Martha or Matilda, following a common nicknaming pattern of changing an M to a P (such as in Margaret → Meg/Meggy → Peg/Peggy; and Molly → Polly) and adding a feminine suffix.[1][2]
While usually a feminine diminutive name, from the 18th Century Patsy also came to be used as a nickname for men and boys called Patrick.[3]
It is thought that the popularity of the name may have waned due to the dictionary meanings of the word "patsy" being "dupe" or "scapegoat".[4]
[edit] Notable people with the given name
- Patsy Biscoe, Australian singer and performer on children's television shows in the 1960s and 1970s
- Patrick A. "Patsy" Brown (1872-1958), Irish-American maker of the uilleann pipes
- Patsy Burt (1928-2001), British motor racing driver
- Elias Henry "Patsy" Hendren (1889-1962), British cricketer
- Patsy Cline (1932-1963), American country & pop music singer
- Patsy Kensit (born 1968), British actress and singer
- Patsy Mink (1927-2002), American politician, appointed an Assistant Secretary of State by President Jimmy Carter
- Patsy Montana (1908-1996), American country & western music singer.
- Patsy O’Connell Sherman (born 1930), American chemist, co-inventor of Scotchgard in 1952
[edit] Fictional
- Patsy (Monty Python), a character in the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and also the 2005 Monty Python inspired musical Spamalot.
- Patsy Smiles, an upbeat and chipper mongoose who has a crush on Lazlo in the 2005-- American animated television series Camp Lazlo.
- Patsy Stone, one of the main characters in the 1992–-2005 British television series Absolutely Fabulous, played by Joanna Lumley.
- Patsy Walker, also known as "Hellcat", a superhero character published by Marvel Comics.
- Patsy Sewer, a singer of the Canadian television program Instant Star.
[edit] References
- ^ Edgar's Name Pages, accessed 16 November 2007.
- ^ Common Nicknames & Their Given Name Equivalents, accessed 16 November 2007.
- ^ Edgar's Name Pages, accessed 16 November 2007.
- ^ Edgar's Name Pages, accessed 16 November 2007.
