Find out how popular the last name Ratcliffe is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ratcliffe.

Ratcliffe, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ratcliffe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ratcliffe in America

Ratcliffe is the 7674th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ratcliffe surname appeared 4,327 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Ratcliffe.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ratcliffe to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ratcliffe

The surname Ratcliffe is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "ræt" meaning "rat" and "clif" meaning "cliff" or "slope." It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a rat-infested cliff or slope.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Radeclive." This record suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.

The Ratcliffe surname has strong ties to Lancashire, England, particularly in the areas around Bury and Rochdale. The name is also found in Yorkshire, where the village of Ratcliffe-on-Soar is located.

One notable individual bearing the Ratcliffe name was Sir John Ratcliffe (c. 1451-1527), who served as Lord Chancellor of England under King Richard III. Another prominent figure was Thomas Ratcliffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex (c. 1490-1557), a prominent military commander during the reign of Henry VIII.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various records, including those of William Ratcliffe (1592-1670), an English Puritan minister and writer, and Sir George Ratcliffe (c. 1610-1670), a Royalist officer during the English Civil War.

The 18th century saw the birth of Thomas Ratcliffe (1744-1821), an English physician and chemist who made significant contributions to the study of gases and the discovery of nitrous oxide.

In the 19th century, John Ratcliffe (1809-1905) was a notable English architect known for his work on several churches and public buildings in Yorkshire.

While the Ratcliffe surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, with notable individuals bearing the name in various countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ratcliffe

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ratcliffe.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ratcliffe was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ratcliffe has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ratcliffe was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ratcliffe, please contact us.

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