Patty’s Day vs. Paddy’s Day, The Truth Revealed!
March 15, 2024 6:33AM EDT
Do you prefer saying St. Patty’s Day or St. Paddy’s Day? Most say Patty’s…and most are wrong. Two reasons, you have to drop the “St.” when modifying Patrick and it’s Paddy’s with Ds, not Ts.
I know, that doesn’t seem to add up to me either so here is the why: Patrick derives from the Anglicized version of the Gaelic name “Pádraig.” Given that St. Patrick’s Day is originally an Irish holiday, and Gaelic is a traditional Irish language. The takeaway here is simple, the correct nickname is Paddy.
I certainly don’t want a “Patty” here and there to throw off your St. Patrick’s day fun, but it might be fun knowledge to drop on your friends as you sink a pint this weekend!