Patricia

Patricia comes from Latin. To be Patrician in ancient Rome meant to be a member of the noble class, so Patricia means "noble." Patricia was an extremely popular name in the U.S. from the 1930's until the 1970's, when it began to decline. The name remains in the top 400 names for baby girls in the U.S., and will probably remain in use. At the moment it has that vaguely old-fashioned sound to most of us; this comes from the fact that many of us know or have known at least one older lady named "Patricia," which simply makes it out of vogue. The name will most likely regain some popularity in future generations. Patricia is a versatile name, bringing with it nicknames such as Pat, Pattie, Patsy, and the more recently in-vogue Tricia--all of which are also used as given names in their own right.