About Ratcliffe
The surname Ratcliffe is of English origin and is derived from the Old English words "ræt" meaning "rat" and "clif" meaning "cliff." It is a locational surname, indicating that the original bearers of the name hailed from a place named Ratcliffe or Radcliffe, which were common place names in England. The name likely referred to a settlement or dwelling situated near a cliff inhabited by rats. Over time, the surname Ratcliffe has become fairly common and is found in various English-speaking countries.
The surname Ratcliffe is a unique entry in our records. Discover more about its distribution and characteristics:
Below is the ethnic distribution of the surname Ratcliffe based on recent US Census records. This is a brief glimpse into the diverse backgrounds of people carrying this surname.
Ranking information for the surname Ratcliffe is not currently available.
Here's how to represent Ratcliffe in Braille, each pattern of raised dots corresponds to a letter in the name.
The image below shows how you can spell Ratcliffe using American Sign Language (ASL). In sign language, each hand shape corresponds to a specific a letter of the name.