2000
#7,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,148
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.54
Rare Last name
Ratcliffe
Derived from a place name meaning "red cliff" in Old English, referring to someone who lived near a red cliff.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,867 Americans carry the last name Ratcliffe. That puts it at #7,547 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,424 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ratcliffe 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 Ratcliffe with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 70,424
Census rank
#7,547
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,244 bearers of the surname Ratcliffe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7547th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ratcliffe, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ratcliffe
Among Census respondents with the surname Ratcliffe, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ratcliffe 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 Ratcliffe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.2% · 3,489
- Black or African American8.2% · 347
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 184
- Two or more races3.5% · 148
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 70
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ratcliffe
Ratcliffe 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
#7,674
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,327
+179 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 263 places
2020
#7,547
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,244
-83 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Up 127 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,411 | 4,148 | 1.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,674 | 4,327 | 1.47 | +179 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 263 places |
| 2020 | #7,547 | 4,244 | 1.42 | -83 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 127 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 Ratcliffe 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 | #7,674 | #7,547 | 1.7% |
| Count | 4,327 | 4,244 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.47 | 1.42 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ratcliffe bearers went from 4,327 to 4,244 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 127 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,674 to #7,547.
FAQ
Ratcliffe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ratcliffe?
Name Census estimates that about 4,867 living Americans carry the surname Ratcliffe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,424 residents.
How common is Ratcliffe?
Ratcliffe ranks #7,547 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,244 people with the surname Ratcliffe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,867), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.42 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ratcliffe.
Has Ratcliffe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ratcliffe went from 4,327 recorded bearers to 4,244. That is a decrease of 83 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,674 to #7,547.
What does the Census say about the background of Ratcliffe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ratcliffe, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Ratcliffe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (3,489 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ratcliffe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.2%), Black (8.2%), Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Ratcliffe (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 Ratcliffe mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "red cliff" in Old English, referring to someone who lived near a red 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 Ratcliffe (1.42 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 many people share the surname Ratcliffe?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.