Patsy is a given name often used as a diminutive of the feminine given name Patricia or sometimes the masculine name Patrick, or occasionally other names containing the syllable "Pat" or "Pet" (such as Cleopatra, Patience, or Patrice). Among Italian-Americans, it is often used as a pet name for Pasquale.
In older usage, Patsy was also a nickname for Martha or Matilda, following a common nicknaming pattern of changing an M to a P (such as in Margaret → Meg/Meggy → Peg/Peggy; and Molly → Polly) and adding a feminine suffix. President George Washington called his wife, Martha, "Patsy" in private correspondence, while President Thomas Jefferson's eldest daughter Martha was known by the nickname "Patsy," while his daughter Mary was called "Polly."
While usually a feminine diminutive name, from the 18th century, Patsy also came to be used as a nickname for men and boys called Patrick.
The popularity of the name has waned with the rise of its, chiefly North American, meaning as "dupe" or "scapegoat". This usage may come from the vaudevillian Billy B. Van, whose 1890s character, Patsy Bolivar, was more often than not an innocent victim of unscrupulous or nefarious characters. At least two murderers have been recorded using this word, to refer to themselves, after their killings: Lee Harvey Oswald, after murdering USA president John Kennedy, and Byron Smith, after murdering Haile Kifer, and her cousin, Nicholas Brady.
Patsy Biscoe, Australian singer and performer on children's television shows in the 1960s and 1970sPatricia Patsy Byrne (1933–2014), English actressPatricia Patsy Burt (1928–2001), British motor racing driverPatsy Chapman (born 1948), British former newspaper editorPat Danner (born 1934), American politicianPatricia Patsy Kensit (born 1968), British actress and singerPatsy Knight (born 1938), American politicianPatsy Lawlor (1933–1997), Irish politician, nurse and businesswomanPatricia Patsy Lovell (born 1954), English cricketer, member of the 1988 English World Cup teamPatricia Patsy May (born 1947), Australian former cricket playerPatsy Ruth Miller (1904-1995), American actressPatsy Mink (1927–2002), American politician, appointed an Assistant Secretary of State by President Jimmy CarterPatricia Patsy Ramsey (1956–2006), mother of slain child beauty queen JonBenet RamseyPatricia Patsy Rowlands (1934–2005), British actress in the Carry On filmsPatsy Rodenburg (born 1953), British voice coach, author and theatre directorPatsy O’Connell Sherman (1930–2008), American chemist and co-inventor of Scotchgard in 1952Patsy Smart (died 1996), English actressPatricia Patsy Ticer (born 1935), American politicianPatsy Bradley (born 1984), Gaelic footballer from Northern IrelandPatrick Patsy Brophy (born 1970), Irish retired hurlerPatrick A. Patsy Brown (1872–1958), Irish-American maker of uilleann pipesFrancis Patsy Callighen (1906-1964), Canadian National Hockey League playerPatrick Patsy Donovan (1865-1953), Irish-American Major League Baseball player and managerPatrick Patsy Dougherty (1876-1940), American Major League Baseball playerPatsy Fagan (born 1951), Irish retired professional snooker playerPatrick Patsy Foley (born 1943), Irish retired hurlerPatsy Harte (born 1940), Irish former hurlerElias Henry Patsy Hendren (1889–1962), British cricketerPatsy McGlone (born 1959), Irish politicianPatsy McGarry, writer and newspaper editorPatsy O'Hara (1957-1981), Irish Republican hunger striker and member of the Irish National Liberation ArmyPatsy Watchorn (born 1944), Irish folk singerPatsy, from The Tribe; played by Sarah MajorPatsy (Monty Python), in the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and also the 2005 Monty Python inspired musical SpamalotPatsy Parisi, in HBO series The SopranosPatsy Sewer, a singer on the Canadian television program Instant Star.Patsy Smiles, a mongoose who is in love with Lazlo in the 2005 American animated television series Camp LazloPatsy Stone, one of the main characters in the 1992–2005 British television series Absolutely Fabulous, played by Joanna LumleyPatsy Walker, also known as "Hellcat", a Marvel Comics superherothe title character in the newspaper comic strip The Adventures of Patsy (1935-1954)