Explore the Family Name Ratley

The meaning of Ratley

English: perhaps a habitational name from Ratley, part of Ratley and Upton (Warwickshire), recorded as Rotelei in 1086. The placename derives from Old English rōt ‘tree root’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’. However, better late medieval bearer evidence is needed to establish that this is the origin of the surname.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Ratley in the United States?

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Ratley has seen an increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 21,916th most popular, but by 2010, it had jumped to 19,911th, showing an increase of 9.15%. The count of people named Ratley also increased during this period from 1,104 to 1,348, a rise of 22.1%. The proportion of individuals with this surname per 100,000 also saw an increase of 12.2%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#21,916	#19,911	9.15%
Count	1,104	1,348	22.1%
Proportion per 100k	0.41	0.46	12.2%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ratley

In terms of ethnic identity, data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows some shifts within the Ratley surname bearers between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of Whites declined slightly from 80.98% to 78.12%, while the Black population saw an increase from 14.49% to 16.47%. Interestingly, those identifying as Two or More Races increased their share from 1.27% to 2.08%, reflecting a growth of 63.78%. The Hispanic population experienced a slight decrease from 2.17% to 2.08%. Additionally, new associations with the Ratley surname emerged by 2010, with 0.45% identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and 0.82% as American Indian and Alaskan Native, where there were none in these categories in 2000.

	2000	2010	Change
White	80.98%	78.12%	-3.53%
Black	14.49%	16.47%	13.66%
Two or More Races	1.27%	2.08%	63.78%
Hispanic	2.17%	2.08%	-4.15%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0.82%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0.45%	0%