Your Annual Reminder that it’s “Paddy’s Day” Not “Patty’s Day”

Since the first humans started calling each other by specific names, there has probably been an equal effort to abbreviate those names. We are a time-strapped and notoriously clannish species, so we like to signal affiliation and affinity with nicknames. Your boss and coworkers might know you as Alexandra, but your real friends call you Sasha; or your squash league calls you John, but even your friends know that only your mother gets to call you Johnny. For the most part, these nicknames and diminutives are widely known, but there’s one nickname that comes up every year that people and companies just can’t seem to get right.

Say it with me, the shorthand for Patrick is Paddy, not Patty.

It’s coming. pic.twitter.com/S8LHtvTpn1

— Paddy, Not Patty (@paddynotpatty) February 28, 2019

“Paddy is derived from the Irish, Pádraig: the source of those mysterious, emerald double-Ds,” explains Marcus Campbell, who has hosted the site paddynotpatty.com since 2010 to teach and correct the world about this faux pas.

“Patty is the diminutive of Patricia, or a burger, and just not something you call a fella,” he says. “There isn’t a sinner in Ireland that would refer to a Patrick as ‘Patty.’ It’s as simple as that.”

Other acceptable nicknames for Patrick include: Pat, Packie, Podge, Pád, and Pod.

Campbell also takes the time to point out other common insensitivities around the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. He notes that Paddy, Mick, and Tadhg have long been slurs by which to call an Irish man, so unless it’s someone’s actual name, don’t use it! Additionally, Irish Car Bombs are still offensive, and a shamrock has three leaves, not four.

So this Paddy’s Day, spread the knowledge far and wide and be sure to @ Campbell on Twitter so the world can see.