Frequency: (122)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
English (Kent): probably a variant spelling of Ratten, from Old French raton ‘rat’, an unflattering nickname for someone thought to resemble a rat, or possibly a metonymic occupational name for a rat catcher.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
