UK boy's name
Padraig
Derived from the Latin name Patricius, meaning "of noble descent or patrician birth".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2023. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Padraig is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Padraig popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4991, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2005, with 16 births.
This profile covers 253 England and Wales registrations across 26 recorded years from 1996 to 2023. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 19% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 1,072 living people in the UK are called Padraig. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2024 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Padraig ranked #4991 for boys in England and Wales in 2023, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2005, when 16 boys were registered as Padraig.
- • Padraig ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #93 in 2024.
- • About 1,072 living people in the UK are estimated to have Padraig as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4991
2023
Births in 2023
3
Latest year
Peak year
2005
16 births
Estimated living
1,072
2026
Meaning
What does Padraig mean?
The given name Padraig has its origins in the Irish language and Gaelic culture. It is the Irish version of the Latin name Patricius, which means "of noble birth" or "from a patrician family". The name can be traced back to the 5th century and is associated with Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
Padraig is derived from the Old Irish word "Patricc", which was the name given to Saint Patrick, who was born in Britain around 385 AD. He was captured and brought to Ireland as a slave at the age of 16, but later escaped and returned to spread Christianity throughout the island. Saint Patrick is credited with converting many of the pagan Irish people to Christianity and is celebrated annually on March 17th, which is known as St. Patrick's Day.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Padraig can be found in the Book of Armagh, a 9th-century Irish manuscript that contains writings about Saint Patrick's life and mission. The name was also mentioned in various Irish annals and historical records throughout the Middle Ages.
Padraig remained a popular name among the Irish people throughout the centuries, and several notable figures in Irish history bore this name. One of the most famous was Padraig Pearse (1879-1916), a teacher, poet, and one of the leaders of the Easter Rising in 1916, which aimed to end British rule in Ireland. Another notable Padraig was Padraig O'Conaire (1882-1928), an Irish writer and journalist who was a prominent figure in the Irish literary revival.
Other notable individuals with the name Padraig include Padraig Harrington (born 1971), an Irish professional golfer who has won three major championships; Padraig MacMathuna (born 1949), an Irish language activist and writer; and Padraig Aalen (1936-2012), an Irish prelate who served as the Bishop of Achonry from 1985 to 2008.
While the name Padraig has its roots in Irish culture, it has also been adopted by people of various backgrounds and nationalities around the world, particularly in countries with strong Irish communities or cultural influences.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Padraig over time
The chart below shows babies named Padraig registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2023. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Padraig, the clearest high point is 2005. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2023, compared with 16 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Padraig by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Padraig was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #4221 | 8 | 2 |
| 2010s | #2869 | 74 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1487 | 121 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1102 | 50 | 4 |
Geography
Where Padraig is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Padraig. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Padraig ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #93 in 2024.
Across the UK
Padraig in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#568 in 2012
9 years of NRS records, 30 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#93 in 2024
28 years of NISRA records, 798 total registered
Related
Names similar to Padraig
- Patrick 17,559
- Peter 13,150
- Paul 8,542
- Philip 4,997
- Parker 4,664
- Phoenix 3,865
- Preston 3,370
- Prince 1,782
- Patryk 1,763
- Phillip 1,697
- Percy 1,395
- Perry 1,015
FAQ
Padraig: questions and answers
How popular is the name Padraig in the UK right now?
In 2023, Padraig was ranked #4991 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Padraig most popular?
The peak year on record was 2005, with 16 babies registered as Padraig in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Padraig?
Derived from the Latin name Patricius, meaning "of noble descent or patrician birth".
How many people are called Padraig in the UK?
A total of 253 babies have been registered as Padraig across the 26 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 30 more in Scotland and 798 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Padraig most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Padraig ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #93 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.