Given name & surname · also Old English
Clive
“one who lives near the cliff”
Clive is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “one who lives near the cliff.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “one who lives near the cliff.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Old 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.
Clive through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 3,336
- 3,336 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2016
- 85 babies
- 2025
- 57
- #2,398 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −12%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 57 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,398 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 12.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 85 in 2016. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (8). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,541 as a first name in 2020; 335 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.
Clive’s family of names
Clive has a feminine form in Cleva. Clive has a related form in Cleve. Clive has a related form in Clyve.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
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 Clive
- C. S. LewisBritish writer, lay theologian, and scholar (1898–1963)
- Clive OwenEnglish actorborn 1964
- Clive DunnBritish actor (1920–2012)
- Clive GrangerBritish economist1934–2009
- Clive BarkerEnglish author, film director, and visual artist (born 1952)
- Clive SinclairEnglish entrepreneur and inventor (1940–2021)
- Clive CusslerAmerican novelist (1931–2020)
- Clive BurrEnglish drummer (1957–2013)
- DJ Kool HercJamaican American DJborn 1952
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Clive, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Clark
“a cleric; a clerk”
98% boys · 2% girls
Hamilton
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93% boys · 7% girls
Zane
“one who is bold”
99% boys · 1% girls
King
“the royal ruler”
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Cristopher
Cristopher is a masculine given name. It is used in English and Spanish.
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Reid
“a red-haired man; one who lives near the reeds”
97% boys · 3% girls
Keoni
“God is gracious”
87% boys · 13% girls