McFadden
An Irish surname meaning “son of little Patrick,” from Gaelic Mac Páidín.
The #1,098 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 9,697 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McFadden is an Anglicized form of Irish Mac Páidín, meaning “son of Páidín.” Páidín is a diminutive of Pádraig, the Irish form of Patrick, so the name is often glossed more informally as “son of little Patrick.” Older writers sometimes analyzed it through forms related to Faddan or Fada, but the Patrick-based explanation is the standard one in the historical sources here.
History
The name is found mainly in Ireland, especially in the north and northwest, and it appears in 19th-century records as a recognizable Irish surname. In Scottish and Irish naming work of the period, it is grouped with other Mac surnames derived from personal names rather than occupations or places. The form McFadden became fixed in English spelling alongside McFadden, MacFadden, and related variants.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In the historical sources provided, McFadden is explicitly glossed as “the son of little Patrick,” a classic example of an affectionate Gaelic diminutive becoming a surname.
From the historical record
“and Duff, a captain. McFADDEN. (Celtic.) The son of Faddan. Fada, Gaelic, tall ; Phaudeen, Gaelic, " little Patrick," and Mac, son ; Mac Phaudeen, the son of little Patrick. McFARLAND. The son of Pharlan, or Partholan, the Gaelic for Bartholomew. Malcom McFarlane, descended from Alwyn, Earl of Lennox, founder of…”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names