Surname Ragget - Meaning and Origin

Ragget: What does the surname Ragget mean?

The surname Ragget is of Anglo-Saxon origins and may derive from the Old English word "raggig" which means "ragged" or "rough." This could allude to the character or physical appearance of the initial bearer of the name. Alternatively, it could derive from the Old Norse geographically descriptive name "Ra-geit" for someone who lived by a corner of mountainous land. In some instances, it could also originate from the personal name Raggett, common in medieval times. As surnames often evolved as a method of identifying individuals by their occupations or physical attributes, the meaning of Ragget varies. It is relatively rare and is distributed unevenly globally, with some of the highest concentrations found in England and the United States. Like many surnames, the exact meaning of Ragget is complex and multifaceted, drawing upon personal, geographical, and historical elements.

Ragget: Where does the name Ragget come from?

The Ragget surname is most commonly found in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. In England, the name is concentrated in the Hampshire, Sussex, and Cheshire counties. In Ireland, it is found mostly in counties Leitrim, Galway, Cavan, and Cork. In Scotland, the Ragget name is more widely distributed. It can be found in Clydesdale, Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, and Fife. The last Ragget family of note was in Wales, where its members held prominent roles in local government, such as the Ministry of Finance.

The Ragget surname is not common today, as its bearers are typically in the older generations. In some countries, especially England and Wales, the numbers of people carrying the Ragget surname have been declining. Many people have adopted more common surnames, often through marriage. Despite this, members of the Ragget family are known to remain in some areas in England and Ireland. For instance, descendants of the Ragget family are still found in the Upper Thames Valley where they originated.

Outside of the UK and Ireland, the Ragget surname is also found but in much lesser numbers. In Canada, a Ragget family appears to have come from England and is located mainly in Toronto and Montreal. In the United States, a small number of the Ragget families are known to inhabit the states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In Australia, a small number of the Ragget surname is found mainly in the Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland regions.

Variations of the surname Ragget

Ragget is an old Anglo-Saxon surname believed to have originated in Kent, in the southeast of England. It is thought that the name was derived from the Old English word “ragge” meaning “willed or willful”. The variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin include: Raggett, Raggatt, Raggitt, Raggott, Raggott, Ragatte, Ragette, Rahgett, Roagatte, Roagett, Roagite, and Rougett.

Raggett is the most common spelling and appears in various areas, mainly around London and SE England, in places such as Kent, Sussex, and Surrey. The Raggatt spelling is seen mostly in Yorkshire, Lancashire, and elsewhere in the North and Midlands. Raggitt and Ragatte are more frequent in Scotland, while Raggott is seen occasionally in Lancashire and Cheshire. Rahgett and Rougett are recorded predominantly in the South West of England and its adjacent counties.

Many variants are very rare, with just a handful of occurrences over the centuries. Roagatte, Roagett, and Roagite – all of which appear in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 – are quite unusual and appear primarily in records from locales such as Northumberland, Nottinghamshire, and Sussex.

Generally speaking, the spelling of the surname has remained constant in the places where it is most commonly recorded. As people moved to the larger cities in the 19th and 20th centuries, however, they may have taken their regional dialect and spelling variants of the name with them, so the same individual or surname in one place may have been spelled differently in another area. This fact makes genealogical research somewhat challenging; however, it can often provide clues as to the original origin of a surname, and in turn, the families that spawned it.

Famous people with the name Ragget

• Tom Ragget: British actor best known for The Pale Horse
• Mark Ragget: Scottish television and film actor and screenwriter
• Jonathan Ragget: English film and television actor
• Ben Ragget: American composer and performer
• Frank Ragget: British Major and Army Captain
• Robert Ragget: British architect and furniture designer
• Douglas Ragget: British lawyer and barrister
• Sir John Ragget: British peer and Royalist
• Thomas Ragget: British actor and singer
• Emily Ragget: British event planner and reality TV star
• Paul Ragget: British artist and sculptor
• Anya Ragget: British television personality and model
• Lachlan Ragget: British musician and producer
• Johnnie Ragget: Australian activist and political strategist

Other surnames

Raggett