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Matty (F)>

Matty (female)

Variants:Patsy (F)
Pet Name for:Martha (F) Matilda (F)
Can be spelt:Mattie (F)
   
Source(s): The Oxford Names Companion, OUP
"Scottish Forenames" - Donald Whyte, FGH, FSG
Notes:

English pet name for Martha and for Matilda.

A US correspondent [MB] reports that

"Throughout the southern colonies (pre 1776) and States, Patsy was a common pet name for Martha."

We are unable to formally determine the true etymology for this but note that Patty is a well-known pet name for the Gaelic Moireach, equivalent to Martha [Whyte]. Patsy is a clear variant of Pattie/Patty and we think it might have been adopted for Martha via the pet name Mattie/Matty in the same way that Molly has transformed to Polly].