A surname from Scotland and Northern Ireland, Patterson comes from the name of ‘Pate’ which is a shorten form of the name ‘Patrick.’
The Gaelic form of 'Ó Caisín' refers to a descendant of the little curly-headed one. This Scottish and Irish form has also been spelled Cussane.

Spelling variations of Patterson include Pattison, Pattersen, Patteson and Paterson.

In Scotland the Patterson surname appears mostly in the southeast section, around Roxburghshire, Berwickshire and Midlowthian counties. In England the Patterson surname is in the northeastern region, that area that borders Scotland. The English counties of Northumberland, Durham, Yorkshire and Lancashire have the higher percentage of Patterson families.

Famous: Floyd Patterson (champion professional boxer), Francine Patterson (a research scientist of gorillas), James T. Patterson (historian), John Henry Patterson (founder of the National Cash Register Co.), Lee Patterson (professional rugby player of Scotland), P. J. Patterson (prime minister of Jamaica), William Patterson (19th century boat builder and engineer) and Johnny Patterson (19th century Irish musician and circus performer).