English and Scottish: from Middle English, Old French
patience (Latin patientia, a derivative of
patiens ‘patient’), hence a nickname, given perhaps to a
notably long-suffering individual or to someone who had represented
this abstract virtue in a morality play. However, this was also a
personal name for men and women and the surname may derive from this
use.
Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
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