2000
#1,099
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.80
Uncommon Last name
Ratliff
An English occupational surname referring to a skilled worker who laid tiles on roofs or made roof tiles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 32,510 Americans carry the last name Ratliff. That puts it at #1,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,543 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ratliff 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 Ratliff with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
33K
1 in 10,543
Census rank
#1,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
28K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,350 bearers of the surname Ratliff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ratliff, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ratliff
The surname RATLIFF is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English words 'ræt' meaning rat and 'hlaf' meaning loaf or bread. The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who worked as a rat catcher or someone associated with rats in some way.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as 'Rattelef' in Essex. This suggests that the name was already established in England by the late 11th century. Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form, RATLIFF.
In the 13th century, records show a John Ratliff residing in Huntingdonshire, England. Another early reference is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1273, which mention a William Ratlyff.
The name RATLIFF was also associated with certain place names, such as Ratliffe Culey in Shropshire and Ratliffe upon Trent in Nottinghamshire. These locations may have influenced the surname's development or derived their names from early bearers of the surname.
Notable individuals with the surname RATLIFF throughout history include:
1. Thomas Ratliff (1563-1637), an English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Dromore in Ireland.
2. John Ratliff (1597-1660), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons and supported the Parliamentarian cause during the English Civil War.
3. William Ratliff (1670-1732), an English architect who designed several churches and country houses in the early 18th century.
4. Mary Ratliff (1690-1764), an English philanthropist and benefactor who founded a school for poor children in London.
5. Benjamin Ratliff (1784-1858), an American pioneer and farmer who played a role in the settlement of Kentucky.
These examples illustrate the longevity and spread of the RATLIFF surname, which has been present in England and later the United States for centuries, with bearers making contributions in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ratliff
Among Census respondents with the surname Ratliff, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ratliff 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 Ratliff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.7% · 21,457
- Black or African American16.0% · 4,542
- Two or more races4.2% · 1,182
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 882
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 156
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 131
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ratliff
Ratliff 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
#1,168
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,083
+941 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 10.20
Rank movement Down 69 places
2020
#1,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,350
-1,733 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 9.48
Rank movement Down 53 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,099 | 29,142 | 10.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,168 | 30,083 | 10.20 | +941 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 69 places |
| 2020 | #1,221 | 28,350 | 9.48 | -1,733 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 53 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 Ratliff 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 | #1,168 | #1,221 | -4.5% |
| Count | 30,083 | 28,350 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 10.20 | 9.48 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ratliff bearers went from 30,083 to 28,350 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 53 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,168 to #1,221.
FAQ
Ratliff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ratliff?
Name Census estimates that about 32,510 living Americans carry the surname Ratliff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,543 residents.
How common is Ratliff?
Ratliff ranks #1,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 28,350 people with the surname Ratliff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (32,510), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Ratliff.
Has Ratliff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ratliff went from 30,083 recorded bearers to 28,350. That is a decrease of 1,733 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,168 to #1,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Ratliff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ratliff, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Ratliff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.7% (21,457 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ratliff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.7%), Black (16.0%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Ratliff (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 Ratliff mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a skilled worker who laid tiles on roofs or made roof tiles. 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 Ratliff (9.48 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 Americans have the surname Ratliff?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.