2000
#30,120
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 734
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.27
Very Rare Last name
Ratigan
An Irish surname possibly derived from the Irish Gaelic "Raithingeach" meaning bracken or ferny place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 819 Americans carry the last name Ratigan. That puts it at #34,217 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 418,503 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ratigan 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.
Bearers in the US
819
1 in 418,503
Census rank
#34,217
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
714
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 714 bearers of the surname Ratigan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34217th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ratigan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ratigan
The surname Ratigan has its origins in Ireland, where it first emerged in the early 12th century. The name is derived from the old Gaelic word "raithin," which means a small fort or earthen rampart. This suggests that the name may have been originally used to refer to someone who lived near or was associated with a fortified settlement or enclosure.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The text mentions a certain "Domhnall O'Raithin" who lived in the late 12th century and was likely a member of a prominent Irish family bearing this surname.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the Ratigan name appeared in various Irish records and documents, often with slight variations in spelling, such as Rategen, Rathigan, and Rathagen. These spelling variations were common in an era when standardized spelling conventions were not yet established.
In the 16th century, the Ratigan surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Galway and Mayo in the western province of Connacht. This region was home to several influential Ratigan families, some of whom were landowners and chieftains.
One notable figure from this era was Tadhg Ratigan, a 16th-century Irish nobleman and landholder who was involved in the Gaelic resistance against English rule in Ireland. Another was Seán Ratigan, a 17th-century poet and scholar who was celebrated for his mastery of the Irish language and his contributions to preserving Irish literature and culture.
As the centuries passed, the Ratigan name continued to be associated with Ireland, and bearers of this surname could be found throughout the country. In the late 18th century, a Patrick Ratigan (1749-1811) was a prominent Irish politician and landowner who served as a member of the Irish House of Commons.
Another significant figure was Máire Ratigan (1877-1967), an Irish republican and activist who played a role in the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. She was actively involved in the fight for Irish independence and was imprisoned multiple times for her activities.
In the 20th century, the Ratigan name gained further recognition through the work of James Ratigan (1904-1966), an Irish-American priest and activist who advocated for social justice and civil rights in the United States. He was a prominent figure in the Catholic Worker Movement and was known for his efforts to address poverty and promote non-violence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ratigan
Among Census respondents with the surname Ratigan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ratigan 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 Ratigan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 650
- Two or more races4.1% · 29
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 5
- Black or African American0.6% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ratigan
Ratigan 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
#31,453
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 736
+2 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 1,333 places
2020
#34,217
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 714
-22 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 2,764 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,120 | 734 | 0.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #31,453 | 736 | 0.25 | +2 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 1,333 places |
| 2020 | #34,217 | 714 | 0.24 | -22 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 2,764 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 Ratigan 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 | #31,453 | #34,217 | -8.8% |
| Count | 736 | 714 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.25 | 0.24 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ratigan bearers went from 736 to 714 (-3.0% change). The surname moved down 2,764 positions in the national ranking, going from #31,453 to #34,217.
FAQ
Ratigan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ratigan?
Name Census estimates that about 819 living Americans carry the surname Ratigan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 418,503 residents.
How common is Ratigan?
Ratigan ranks #34,217 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 714 people with the surname Ratigan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (819), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ratigan.
Has Ratigan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ratigan went from 736 recorded bearers to 714. That is a decrease of 22 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #31,453 to #34,217.
What does the Census say about the background of Ratigan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ratigan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Ratigan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (650 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ratigan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Ratigan (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 Ratigan mean?
An Irish surname possibly derived from the Irish Gaelic "Raithingeach" meaning bracken or ferny place. 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 Ratigan (0.24 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 Ratigan?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.