This interesting name is of early medieval English origin, and one of the variant forms of the surname generated by the male personal name Patrick. The given name was adopted from the Latin "Patricius", son of a noble father, member of the patrician class, the Roman hereditary aristocracy. Patrick was the name of a 5th Century Roman-Briton who became the apostle of Ireland, and his subsequent fame was largely responsible for the popularity of the given name during the Middle Ages. In England the given name found most favour in the northern counties, and is first recorded there in its Latinized form of "Patricius", in the Early Yorkshire Charters of 1175 - 1196. In Scotland, Patrick was popular in the West, and became confused with Peter, while in Ireland it only became a popular christian name after 1600, due probably to the Scots settlers in Ulster. Early examples of the surname include; William Patrik (1180, Lancashire), Ivo Patryk (1273, Essex), and Ralph Paterik (1292, Hertfordshire). Recordings from London Church Registers include the christening of Henrie Patrick on April 1st 1582, at St. Luke's, Chelsea, and the marriage of George Patrick and Sarah Jackson on February 15th 1636, at St. Katherine by the Tower. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Patric, which was dated 1130, in the "Pipe Rolls of Kent", during the reign of Henry 1, known as "The Lion of Justice", 1100 - 1135. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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