An English surname, Ratliff comes from the Old English terms ‘read’ and ‘clif’ which mean a riverbank or cliff. The spelling variations for Ratliff include Radcliffe, Ratcliff and Radcliff. In England the Ratliff surname is primarily in the southeast region. Those counties with the greater populations of Ratliff individuals include Essex, Suffolk, Buckinghamshire, Surrey and the city of London. Within the United States the Ratliff surname originated in Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas, Tennessee, Ohio and Alabama. Famous: Tommy Joe Ratliff (musician - bass guitar), Jay Ratliff (professional football player), Theophilus Curtis “Theo” Ratliff (professional basketball player), William Roark Ratliff (Lieutenant Governor of Texas) and Cecil Wayne Ratliff (developer of the Vulcan database program).