The Ratcliffe surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,327 people carried this name — #7,674 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 68,000 people counted. That is up 4% from 4,148 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Ratcliffe surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Radcliffe’.

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

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 637 · public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 77 people named Ratcliffe live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 43
Santa Fe 20
City of Buenos Aires 14

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 29 people named Ratcliffe.

10 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 4 départements, most often Pas-de-Calais.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 10
Pas-de-Calais 9
Tarn-et-Garonne 4
Nord 3
Paris 3

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Ratcliffe was found among the farmers of 7 counties.

It was most frequent in Staffordshire: 34 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 294. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Staffordshire 34
Gloucestershire 24
Middlesex 18
Leicestershire and Rutland 13
Yorkshire, West Riding 13
Essex 9
Derbyshire 7

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Ratcliffe was recorded 12 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1665th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 21. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

In 1790, Ratcliffe 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

Ratcliffe in American newspapers,
1908–1923.

Newspaper page from St. Tammany Farmer carrying the name Ratcliffe
St. Tammany Farmer 1908-09-05
Newspaper page from The Colfax Chronicle carrying the name Ratcliffe
The Colfax Chronicle 1908-08-29
Newspaper page from The Bolivar County Democrat carrying the name Ratcliffe
The Bolivar County Democrat 1923-05-19

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 24,525 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Ratcliffe in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

10,120 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Ratcliffe. The most, 2,356, date from the 1930s. New South Wales 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 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 4,207
Victoria 1,832
Queensland 1,382
Western Australia 1,114
Tasmania 743
South Australia 726
ACT (Canberra) 92
Northern Territory 3

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

Who carried it

People named Ratcliffe,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Jane Ratcliffe
    Jane Ratcliffe 1500–1638
  • Charles Ratcliffe d. 1928
  • Alice E. Ratcliffe d. 1974 · botanical collector
  • John Ratcliffe d. 1633 · politician
  • Thomas Ratcliffe d. 1599 · cleric
  • Richard Ratcliffe 1450–1485 · military personnel

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 Ratcliffe,
in the records of 8 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 States529 records

529 records of the Ratcliffe name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 169
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 159
  • Other U.S. records 201
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Glenwood J. Ratcliffe

    Born 1921 in Virginia. Enlisted 1942 at Baltimore, Maryland; route man. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Deer Creek Cemetery, Forest Hill, Maryland.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Carl Ratcliffe

    Born 1944; from Pittsville, Maryland. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1967 in Binh Duong, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Alex Ratcliffe

    Arrived at New York in 1890 aboard the Aurania from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 52; weaver. From England; bound for New York.

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

Showing 3 of 529 records for Ratcliffe in the United States.

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

Australia751 records

751 records of the Ratcliffe name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 262
  • Tasmanian Names Index 217
  • Other Australian records 272
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Elizabeth Ratcliffe

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Emma Eugenia, sailing from Portsmouth in 1846. Native of Devon. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1850.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Joseph Ratcliffe

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Coromandel, sailing from Sheerness in 1838. Native of Yorkshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851. Married 1851 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 31.

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

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Northumbria, aged 36; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 751 records for Ratcliffe 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) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

United Kingdom77 records

77 records of the Ratcliffe name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 63
  • Stirling Council burial records 5
  • Other British records 9
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Ratcliffe

    Died 1929, aged 70; buried at Bannockburn Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Percy Chadderton Ratcliffe

    Will proved in 1940; of Rhos-On-Sea, Denbigh.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record A. Ratcliffe

    Durham Light Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

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

Showing 3 of 77 records for Ratcliffe in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Canada36 records

36 records of the Ratcliffe name in Canada
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 11
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 7
  • Other Canadian records 18
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Joseph Ratcliffe

    Came to Ontario in 1870 aboard the Peruvian, landing at Quebec, bound for Baden, Ontario; English.

    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 William Ratcliffe

    Buried in 1984 at Transcona Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba, aged 65.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Walter Ratcliffe

    Died 1939; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.

Showing 3 of 36 records for Ratcliffe in Canada.

Counts: Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. 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).

New Zealand8 records

8 records of the Ratcliffe name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 6
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Melva Joan Ratcliffe

    Died 1939, aged 27; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Charles Ratcliffe

    Buried in 1886 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Ratcliffe

    Died 1925, aged 66; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Ratcliffe in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France7 records

7 records of the Ratcliffe name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Patricia Ratcliffe

    Born 1939 in Great Britain; died 1998 in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Harold Ratcliffe

    Born 1898 in Calais; died 1981 in Boulogne-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Thomas Ratcliffe

    Born 1920 in Great Britain; died 2001 in Mougins (Alpes-Maritimes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Ratcliffe in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands7 records

7 records of the Ratcliffe name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 4
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 3
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Elizabeth Ratcliffe

    Died 1922 in Rotterdam, aged 78.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record E.l.g. Ratcliffe

    Died 1943 in Ameland.

    Open Archives, AlleFriezen (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Marijan Ratcliffe

    In the population register of Amsterdam; born 1811 in Pheffiald.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Amsterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Ratcliffe in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Germany1 record

1 record of the Ratcliffe name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Alexander Ludwig Ratcliffe

    From Karlsruhe. Reported taken prisoner in the colonial troops' casualty list of 27 July 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Ratcliffe.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Ratcliffe 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.

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