boy's name

Cliff

  • Gender Boy
  • Syllables 1
  • Letters 5
  • Popularity Uncommon
  • Births on record 9,645

Ireland

#303

1982 births

Cliff is a boy's name with 1 syllable. In 2025 it was given to 43 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.

  • Peaked in 1959, when 310 babies were given the name.
  • After peaking in the 1950s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
  • Today about 1 in 77,101 babies in the United States is given this name.
  • 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.

Cliff over time

Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.

1,976
'80 '90 '00 '10 '20 '30 '40 '50 '60 '70 '80 '90 '00 '10 '20
Show the numbers
Births named Cliff by decade in the United States
Decade Births
1880s 132
1890s 157
1900s 194
1910s 357
1920s 404
1930s 545
1940s 910
1950s 1,567
1960s 1,976
1970s 1,061
1980s 1,082
1990s 323
2000s 173
2010s 194
2020s (to 2025) 232

How popular is Cliff?

In 2025, Cliff was given to 43 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.

Where Cliff is used

Ireland #303 4 in 1982
United States #2,893 43 in 2025
Canada #2,975 6 in 2024
England & Wales #4,133 4 in 2013
France #5,737 5 in 2023

The bar shows how near the top of each country's list the name sits, on a scale where #1 fills the row and #1,000 is a sliver. The figures beside it are the real rank and the babies recorded that year.

US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.

Names that peaked alongside Cliff

These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.

Parents who like Cliff also like

Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Cliff over the last century — the same taste, a different name.

Sibling names for Cliff

Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Cliff — the two things that make a sibling set grate.

Common questions about Cliff

How popular is the name Cliff?

In 2025, Cliff was given to 43 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.

Is Cliff a girl's or a boy's name?

Cliff is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.

How many syllables are in Cliff?

Cliff has 1 syllable.

When was Cliff most popular?

Cliff peaked in 1959, when 310 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1950s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.

Is Cliff a good name?

That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Cliff currently ranks #2,893 in the United States. After peaking in the 1950s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.