A Scottish and Northern English patronymic surname, from given names.
"The Patterson family has lived in that northern village for generations as a result of their shared patronymic surname."
Patterson is a surname derived from the Middle English word pate, which was a shortened form of the name Patrick, combined with the suffix -son to mean "son of Patrick." The name traveled into modern usage as a standard family identifier rather than retaining any specific original meaning beyond its patronymic roots.