The Radcliff surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,232 people carried this name — #6,489 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 56,500 people counted. That is up 4% from 5,055 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Radcliff surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley explains it as ‘of Radcliffe’.

An early record he cites: Willelmus de Radclif, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Radcliff and Radcliffe.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 632 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

In 1790, Radcliff was counted together with Ratcliff: 76 families in all.

Each family is counted by its head. About 424 people lived in those households, 5.6 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: Ratcliff, Rackleff, Rackliffe, Ractliff, Radcliff, Radcliffe, Radclift, Raddcliff, Radlif, Radliff, Ratclif, Ratcliffe, Ratclift. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Virginia 24
Maryland 18
South Carolina 12
New York 6
North Carolina 5
Pennsylvania 4
Maine 3
Massachusetts 3
New Hampshire 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 258 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Radcliff in American newspapers,
1884–1911.

Newspaper page from Weekly Graphic carrying the name Radcliff
Weekly Graphic 1891-02-13
Newspaper page from The Sedalia Weekly Bazoo carrying the name Radcliff
The Sedalia Weekly Bazoo 1884-08-26
Newspaper page from The Detroit Times carrying the name Radcliff
The Detroit Times 1911-03-13

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 10,440 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Radcliff in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1980s.

2,686 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Radcliff. The most, 580, date from the 1910s. Victoria has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 2.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 778
New South Wales 671
Tasmania 482
South Australia 433
Queensland 254
Western Australia 53
ACT (Canberra) 7
Northern Territory 4

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Radcliff.

Who carried it

People named Radcliff,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Jacob Radcliff
    Jacob Radcliff 1764–1842 · judge
  • John Radcliff
    John Radcliff 1848–1911 · baseball player
  • Rip Radcliff
    Rip Radcliff 1906–1962 · baseball player
  • Martha Radcliff d. 1875
  • Thomas Radcliff 1379–1446 · Catholic bishop
  • William Radcliff 1768–1842

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Radcliff,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States384 records

384 records of the Radcliff name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 161
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 70
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 60
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 59
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 13
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 10
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 6
  • Sacramento County historic burials 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Donald Gordon Radcliff

    Born 1928; from Louisville, Kentucky. U.S. Army, armored reconnaissance unit commander; killed in action 1965 in South Vietnam. Buried at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Kentucky.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Dale D. Radcliff

    Born 1919 in West Virginia. Enlisted 1942 at Clarksburg; construction worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1995, buried at West Virginia National Cemetery, West Virginia.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Amelia Radcliff

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 40; housekeeper. From Blackburn, England; bound for Rhode Island.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 384 records for Radcliff in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia123 records

123 records of the Radcliff name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 55
  • Tasmanian Names Index 47
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 11
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 8
  • State Library of Western Australia indexes 2
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Bernard Hamilton Radcliff

    Born 1893 in Hobart, Tasmania. Died 1936 in Tasmania, aged 43. Will registered in Tasmania in 1936.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Hannah Radcliff

    Arrived in Victoria in 1855 aboard the Merlin, aged 23; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Biographical index Joseph Radcliff

    In the Western Australian Biographical Index; born 1857, died 1858.

    State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 123 records for Radcliff in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada8 records

8 records of the Radcliff name in Canada
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 3
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 2
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 2
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John W. Radcliff

    Came to Ontario in 1876 aboard the Moravian, landing at Quebec, bound for Goderich, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Elizabeth Jane Radcliff

    Buried in 1968 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 79.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Kenneth Edward Radcliff

    Died in service in 1943.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 8 records for Radcliff in Canada.

Counts: Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom1 record

1 record of the Radcliff name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record R. Radcliff

    Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Radcliff name in the Netherlands Dutch population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Margaret Helen Radcliff

    In the population register of 's-Gravenhage; born 1849 in Sunderland.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Radcliff.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Radcliff is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Radcliff volume
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