Find out how popular the last name Ratelle is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ratelle.
A French surname derived from the Old French word "rat", meaning "rat".
Ratelle, 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 Ratelle surname is from the 2010 census data.
Ratelle is the 89403rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Ratelle surname appeared 207 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ratelle.
We can also compare 2010 data for Ratelle 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.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 89403 | 81700 | 9.00% |
| Count | 207 | 215 | -3.79% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.07 | 0.08 | -13.33% |
The surname Ratelle has its origins in France and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "ratelle," which means "small rat." This suggests that the name was initially a descriptive nickname given to someone who exhibited rat-like characteristics or had a close association with these rodents.
The Ratelle surname first appeared in the northern regions of France, particularly in Normandy and Picardy. It gained prominence during the Middle Ages, and early records indicate that it was commonly used by families living in these areas. The name is also linked to several small villages and hamlets in France, such as Ratelle in the Aisne department and Ratilly in the Yonne department.
One of the earliest known mentions of the Ratelle name can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the Abbey of Saint-Père in Chartres, dating back to the 12th century. This suggests that the name was well-established in the region during that period.
In the 14th century, a man named Jean Ratelle is recorded as a resident of the town of Rouen in Normandy. He was a prominent merchant and landowner, and his name appears in several local records from that time. Another notable figure with the Ratelle surname was Pierre Ratelle, a French soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) and is mentioned in chronicles of the time.
During the 16th century, a branch of the Ratelle family settled in the Champagne region of France. One of their descendants, Jacques Ratelle (1576-1642), became a respected lawyer and served as a judge in the Parlement of Paris, the highest court of justice in the Kingdom of France.
In the 17th century, a priest named Claude Ratelle (1620-1698) gained recognition for his work as a theologian and author. He published several religious texts and was highly regarded within the Catholic Church.
As the Ratelle surname spread across France, it also found its way to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. In the 19th century, a Canadian-born hockey player named Claude Ratelle (1940-2016) achieved fame as a member of the New York Rangers and later as a coach and executive in the National Hockey League.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ratelle.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ratelle was:
| Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White Only | 93.72% | 194 |
| Non-Hispanic Black Only | 0.00% | 0 |
| Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 2.90% | 6 |
| Hispanic Origin | (S)% | (S) |
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 Ratelle has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 93.72% | 95.81% | -2.21% |
| Black | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Two or More Races | 2.90% | 2.79% | 3.87% |
| Hispanic | (S)% | 0.00% | (S)% |
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 Ratelle was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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