Ratcliff

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A surname of English origin, and also the name of a locality in east London once known for its riverside docks
2. An English family name carried by many people, and the name of an old riverside district in the East End of London
3. A surname of English origin shared by many families, as well as a former dockland area in east London near the Thames

Etymology: Ratcliff is a place-name built from two Old English words: "rēad", meaning red, and "clif", meaning cliff or steep bank. Together they most likely describe a reddish bank. The same elements produced several English villages called Ratcliffe, and the surname came from people who lived at or came from one of them, as many English surnames did. The east London Ratcliff took its name from a riverside bank above the Thames marshes. Its docks and sailors' lodgings made it a busy, rough quarter, and its main street, Ratcliff Highway, became notorious for crime and violence. The name is still tied to the district's old waterfront, even though the docks that gave it life have gone.