Into the Fire

Patxi

Patxi is a male given name in the Basque language area in northern Spain and south-west France, but more commonly a nickname for those officially named Francisco (or François in the French zone, ultimately cognates of Francis); the original Basque equivalent was Frantzisko, but this was rarely chosen as a forename by parents in the modern era, and along with Patxi it was forbidden to be given to babies under the language policies of Francoist Spain between the 1940s and 1970s, hence the widespread unofficial adoption during that period. Far less common spelling variations include Patxo and Pantxi, while Pacho is used in Latin America – although there Pancho is much more widespread, as is Paco in Castilian-speaking parts of Spain. more »