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

Ratley, 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 Ratley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ratley in America

Ratley is the 19911th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ratley surname appeared 1,348 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 Ratley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ratley 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 Ratley

The surname Ratley is of English origin and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from a place name, possibly a town or village in the county of Warwickshire or the surrounding areas. The name may be derived from the Old English words "ræt" meaning a type of animal such as a rat or "rǣd" meaning a road or path, combined with the word "leah" meaning a woodland clearing or meadow.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ratley name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Warwickshire, a census-like record from 1279, which mentions a Richard de Ratleia. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the late 13th century.

The Ratley name also appears in the Inquisitiones Post Mortem records, which were inquiries into the property holdings of deceased individuals, conducted by the Crown. In 1361, a John de Ratlye is mentioned in relation to land holdings in Warwickshire.

In the late 16th century, the Ratley name can be found in various parish records and church registers across Warwickshire and the neighboring counties of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. Some examples include the baptism of John Ratley in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1581 and the marriage of Edward Ratley and Alice Willington in Broughton, Oxfordshire, in 1593.

Among the notable individuals with the Ratley surname throughout history are:

1. William Ratley (c.1560 - 1627), an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Norfolk from 1621 until his death.

2. John Ratley (1625 - 1692), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Stratford-upon-Avon from 1679 to 1681.

3. Thomas Ratley (1688 - 1743), a British military officer who served in the War of the Spanish Succession and later became a member of the Honourable Artillery Company.

4. Mary Ratley (1720 - 1788), an English painter and miniaturist who was active in the mid-18th century and exhibited at the Society of Artists.

5. James Ratley (1825 - 1897), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the former headquarters of the Prudential Assurance Company.

While the Ratley surname may have originated from a specific place name, it has since spread across various regions of England and beyond, carried by individuals who contributed to various fields throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ratley

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

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 Ratley 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 Ratley 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 Ratley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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