Given name & surname
Clifford
“from the ford near the cliff”
Clifford is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the ford near the cliff.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “from the ford near the cliff.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Clifford through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 190,268
- 188,249 boys · 2,019 girls
- Most popular year
- 1925
- 3,473 babies
- 2025
- 139
- #1,352 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −3%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 139 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,352 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 2.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 3,424 in 1925. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (9). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 78,907 as a first name in 2020; 21,150 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Clifford’s family of names
In English usage, Clifford has a diminutive in Cliff. Clifford has a related form in Cliford. Clifford has a short form in Cliff.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Clifford
- Clifford ShullAmerican physicist (1915–2001)
- Cliff BurtonAmerican bassist (1962–1986)
- Cliff RobertsonAmerican actor (1923–2011)
- Clifford D. SimakAmerican writer, journalist (1904–1988)
- T.I.American rapper, actor and record producer (born 1980)
- Clifford GeertzAmerican anthropologist1926–2006
- Method ManAmerican rapper and actor (born 1971)
- Cliff CurtisNew Zealand actorborn 1968
- Clifford BrownAmerican jazz musician (1930–1956)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Clifford, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Wilford
“from the willow ford”
>99% boys
Sanford
“from the sandy crossing”
>99% boys
Lyle
“from the island”
98% boys · 2% girls
Howard
“army guardian” · “the guardian of the home”
>99% boys
Dudley
“from the people's meadow”
>99% boys
Eldon
“from the sacred hill”
>99% boys
Irwin
“a friend of the wild boar”
>99% boys
Winford
“from a friend's ford”
>99% boys