Given name & surname
Clifton
“cliff”
Clifton is a masculine given name from Old English, meaning “cliff.”
Meaning & origin
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.
Clifton through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 70,685
- 70,249 boys · 436 girls
- Most popular year
- 1975
- 1,224 babies
- 2025
- 82
- #1,907 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −13%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 82 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,907 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 12.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 1,214 in 1975. In 2025, North Carolina had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (9). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 33,448 as a first name in 2020; 23,350 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.
Clifton’s family of names
In English usage, Clifton has a diminutive in Cliff. In English usage, Clifton has a diminutive in CLIF.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Clifton
- Clifton WebbAmerican actor, singer and dancer (1889–1966)
- Clifton Collins Jr.American actorborn 1970
- Clifton WilliamsAmerican astronaut (1932–1967)
- Clifton JamesAmerican actor (1920-2017)
- Cliff EdwardsAmerican recording artist; musician, singer, actor and voice actor (1895-1971)
- Clifton DavisAmerican actor, musician and ministerborn 1945
- CapletonJamaican reggae and dancehall artistborn 1967
- Clifton PowellAmerican actor and comedianborn 1956
- Clifton ChenierAmerican zydeco accordion player and singer (1925–1987)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Clifton, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Clinton
“from the town on the hill”
>99% boys
Marlon
“resembling a little hawk”
>99% boys
Charlton
“from the free man's town”
>99% boys
Shelton
“from the farm on the ledge”
>99% boys
Lyndon
“from the hill of lime trees” · “from the lime tree”
84% boys · 16% girls
Abdon
“settlement”
>99% boys
Vinson
“the son of Vincent”
>99% boys
Chadwick
“from Chad's dairy farm”
>99% boys