Ratchford History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Ratchford comes from when the family resided beside a marsh or reedy ford. Ratchford is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Ratchford family

The surname Ratchford was first found in Devon where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Ratchford family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ratchford research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1561 and 1630 are included under the topic Early Ratchford History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ratchford Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Ratchford include Radford, Ratford and others.

Early Notables of the Ratchford family

More information is included under the topic Early Ratchford Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ratchford Ranking

In the United States, the name Ratchford is the 8,997^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Ratchford migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Ratchford Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Ratchford, aged 28, who landed in New York in 1812 2

Ratchford migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Ratchford Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Martin Ratchford, English convict who was convicted in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 30th June 1845, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Ratchford (post 1700) +

William Richard Ratchford (1934-2011), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut (1979-1985)
Michael D. Ratchford (1860-1927), Irish-born American labor leader from County Clare, Ireland, President of the United Mine Workers of America (1897-1898)
Charles Brice Ratchford (1920-1997), American academic from Gastonia, North Carolina, 15th President of the University of Missouri System (1970-1976)
Abigail Ratchford (b. 1992), American glamour model, social media personality and actress, known for her work on Access Hollywood (2014)
Stefan Guy Ratchford (b. 1988), English rugby league footballer for the Warrington Wolves from Wigan, Greater Manchester
Jeremy Ratchford (b. 1965), Canadian actor, best known for his starring role as Nick Vera on the TV series Cold Case
James Ratchford DeWolf (1787-1855), Canadian merchant and politician who represented Liverpool township from 1820 to 1830 and Queens County from 1830 to 1836 and from 1840 to 1843 in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian