2000
#5,362
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,976
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.22
Rare Last name
Radcliffe
From a place name meaning "red cliff" in Old English, referring to someone who lived near a red cliff.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,713 Americans carry the last name Radcliffe. That puts it at #5,707 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,058 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Radcliffe surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Radcliffe with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.7K
1 in 51,058
Census rank
#5,707
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,854 bearers of the surname Radcliffe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5707th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Radcliffe, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Radcliffe
The surname Radcliffe has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name, derived from the place name Radcliffe, which is found in several areas of the country, including Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Greater Manchester.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Radeclive" and "Radecliue." These spellings suggest that the name may have been derived from the Old English words "read" (meaning red) and "clif" (meaning cliff or slope), possibly referring to a red cliff or hillside.
In the 12th century, the name was recorded as "Raddeclive" and "Radeclyve," and by the 13th century, it had evolved into the more recognizable form of "Radcliffe." The various spellings and variations of the name reflect the changes in language and pronunciation over time.
One notable individual who bore the Radcliffe surname was Sir John Radcliffe (1650-1714), a renowned physician and founder of the Radcliffe Library and the Radcliffe Observatory in Oxford. Another prominent figure was Thomas Radcliffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex (1526-1583), who served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the literary world, Ann Radcliffe (1764-1823) was a pioneering writer of Gothic fiction, known for her influential novels such as "The Mysteries of Udolpho" and "The Italian." Her works significantly contributed to the development of the Gothic genre.
Sir George Radcliffe (1593-1657) was a notable English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament during the English Civil War. He was a staunch Royalist and played a significant role in the events leading up to the conflict.
Another individual of note was Alexander Radcliffe (1775-1840), a British explorer and cartographer who surveyed and mapped large portions of North America, including the Canadian Arctic and the Great Lakes region.
The Radcliffe surname has been borne by many other notable figures throughout history, including politicians, academics, military leaders, and artists, reflecting its widespread distribution and long-standing presence in various parts of England and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Radcliffe
Among Census respondents with the surname Radcliffe, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Radcliffe bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Radcliffe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.2% · 4,869
- Black or African American8.9% · 519
- Two or more races3.5% · 202
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 185
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 57
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Radcliffe
Radcliffe appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,948
-28 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 2.02
Rank movement Down 450 places
2020
#5,707
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,854
-94 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 1.96
Rank movement Up 105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,362 | 5,976 | 2.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,812 | 5,948 | 2.02 | -28 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 450 places |
| 2020 | #5,707 | 5,854 | 1.96 | -94 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 105 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Radcliffe surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,812 | #5,707 | 1.8% |
| Count | 5,948 | 5,854 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.02 | 1.96 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Radcliffe bearers went from 5,948 to 5,854 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 105 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,812 to #5,707.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Radcliffe
FAQ
Radcliffe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Radcliffe?
Name Census estimates that about 6,713 living Americans carry the surname Radcliffe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,058 residents.
How common is Radcliffe?
Radcliffe ranks #5,707 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,854 people with the surname Radcliffe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,713), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Radcliffe.
Has Radcliffe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Radcliffe went from 5,948 recorded bearers to 5,854. That is a decrease of 94 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,812 to #5,707.
What does the Census say about the background of Radcliffe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Radcliffe, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Radcliffe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.2% (4,869 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Radcliffe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.2%), Black (8.9%), Two or More Races (3.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Radcliffe (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Radcliffe mean?
From a place name meaning "red cliff" in Old English, referring to someone who lived near a red cliff. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Radcliffe (1.96 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Radcliffe?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.