Pait: Last Name Origin and Family Crest

Ask a genealogist about Pait and the first name they will mention is Pate. The name is generally explained as “Descendant of Pate or Pait, pet forms of Patrick (noble or patrician)”.

Heraldry and the Pait name

Arms linked to Pate and its spellings were granted to individual families; our heraldry team traces which line they belonged to.

How the spelling arose

Records show Pait as one of the forms Pate took over time. Regional accents shaped spellings long before dictionaries fixed them. The same family of names includes Patt and Patey.

The Census Bureau's 2010 surname file lists Pait with 958 bearers, at rank 25,725. Research your Pait family history with a full surname report and painted coat of arms.