2000
#3,207
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,237
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.79
Uncommon Last name
Ratcliff
A locational surname referring to someone from a cliff infested with rats or a steep, reddish cliff.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,348 Americans carry the last name Ratcliff. That puts it at #3,519 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,204 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ratcliff surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ratcliff with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,204
Census rank
#3,519
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,896 bearers of the surname Ratcliff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3519th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ratcliff, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.1%. The next largest groups are Black (19.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ratcliff
The surname Ratcliff is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "ræt" meaning "a rat" and "clif" meaning "a cliff or steep bank". The name likely originated as a topographic surname, referring to someone who lived near a cliff or bank frequented by rats.
The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Radeclive". This early spelling variation highlights the name's connection to a place name, likely a specific locality where the original bearers resided.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as "Rateclif", "Ratcliff", and "Ratclyff" in various records and manuscripts from counties like Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Nottinghamshire. These regions were likely home to the earliest known families bearing the surname.
One notable individual with the surname Ratcliff was Sir Richard Ratcliff (c. 1455 - 1529), a prominent English soldier and courtier during the Wars of the Roses. He served under King Richard III and was appointed to several important positions, including Lieutenant of the Tower of London.
Another historical figure was Thomas Ratcliffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex (1526 - 1583), an English nobleman and military leader who served as Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1556 to 1558. He was also a prominent figure in the English Reformation.
In the 16th century, the name was also associated with the Ratcliffe family of Derwentwater, a prominent Northumbrian gentry family. One member, James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater (1689 - 1716), was a Jacobite supporter who was executed for his involvement in the Jacobite rising of 1715.
The name Ratcliff was also borne by Sir John Ratcliffe (c. 1536 - 1592), an English soldier and diplomat who served as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard under Queen Elizabeth I.
In the realm of literature, the surname Ratcliff appears in William Shakespeare's play "Richard III", where it is the name of one of King Richard's supporters, Sir Richard Ratcliffe.
While the name originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and has undergone various spellings and variations over the centuries, reflecting its rich and diverse history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ratcliff
Among Census respondents with the surname Ratcliff, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.1%. The next largest groups are Black (19.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ratcliff bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ratcliff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.1% · 7,036
- Black or African American19.6% · 1,935
- Two or more races4.2% · 420
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 381
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 59
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ratcliff
Ratcliff appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,409
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,497
+260 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 3.56
Rank movement Down 202 places
2020
#3,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,896
-601 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 3.31
Rank movement Down 110 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,207 | 10,237 | 3.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,409 | 10,497 | 3.56 | +260 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 202 places |
| 2020 | #3,519 | 9,896 | 3.31 | -601 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 110 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ratcliff surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,409 | #3,519 | -3.2% |
| Count | 10,497 | 9,896 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.56 | 3.31 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ratcliff bearers went from 10,497 to 9,896 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 110 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,409 to #3,519.
FAQ
Ratcliff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ratcliff?
Name Census estimates that about 11,348 living Americans carry the surname Ratcliff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,204 residents.
How common is Ratcliff?
Ratcliff ranks #3,519 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.31 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,896 people with the surname Ratcliff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,348), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.31 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Ratcliff.
Has Ratcliff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ratcliff went from 10,497 recorded bearers to 9,896. That is a decrease of 601 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,409 to #3,519.
What does the Census say about the background of Ratcliff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ratcliff, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.1%. The next largest groups are Black (19.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ratcliff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.1% (7,036 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ratcliff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.1%), Black (19.6%), Two or More Races (4.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ratcliff (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ratcliff mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a cliff infested with rats or a steep, reddish cliff. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ratcliff (3.31 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Ratcliff?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Ratcliff? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.