Ratliff

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A family name of English origin, borne by people with ancestors who took it from a place or trade
2. A surname of English origin carried by many families, often traced to a local or occupational source
3. An English family name, found mainly in the United States, that originated as a regional surname

Etymology: "Ratliff" is a surname, and it comes from a place name. Surnames of this kind were often taken from a homestead or village, and "Ratcliffe" and "Ratcliff" are English place names that most likely meant "red cliff," from Old English "rēad" (red) and "clif" (cliff). Several places bearing the name exist, including Ratcliffe in Leicestershire and Ratcliff in east London, so the family name could have arisen wherever a bearer lived near such a red-tinged bank or slope. The spelling "Ratliff" is a later variant of "Ratcliff" in which the middle syllable is dropped in pronunciation and writing. It became common in North America, especially in the American South, where many surnames of English origin were recorded phonetically by clerks and families over the generations.