boy's name
Clifford
KLIF-erd
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 8
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 191,443
Scotland
#270
1984 births
Clifford is a boy's name from an English place name meaning a ford by a cliff — a river crossing below a steep bank. Our data marks it stable, and it charts in two markets.
- Clifford is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1925, when 3,473 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 23,852 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Clifford 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.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,630 |
| 1890s | 2,821 |
| 1900s | 4,210 |
| 1910s | 21,247 |
| 1920s | 31,688 |
| 1930s | 23,332 |
| 1940s | 25,974 |
| 1950s | 30,014 |
| 1960s | 19,394 |
| 1970s | 11,854 |
| 1980s | 9,650 |
| 1990s | 4,302 |
| 2000s | 1,895 |
| 2010s | 1,415 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 842 |
What Clifford means
Clifford means the ford by the cliff. The Old English joins the word for a cliff or steep bank to one for a river crossing, so the name describes a specific piece of terrain.
Where Clifford comes from
Clifford is an English place name from clif, a cliff or steep bank, joined to ford, a river crossing — a crossing point below high ground, which is a practical thing to name a settlement for. Several places in England carry it. The Cliffords became a powerful northern family: Rosamund Clifford was Henry II's mistress, and the family held Skipton Castle for centuries. Its use as a given name is nineteenth-century, part of the movement of aristocratic surnames into first-name position alongside Percy, Sidney and Howard.
Clifford in use
Clifford peaked in the United States in 1925, when 3,473 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now charts in three of the seven markets we track — 1238th in Canada, 1352nd in the United States on 139 births and 3879th in England and Wales — across 191,443 lifetime births. Its 1925 peak places it with Leroy, Warren and Bertha in the 1918 to 1926 band.
How popular is Clifford?
In 2025, Clifford was given to 139 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Clifford is used
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 Clifford
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Clifford also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Clifford over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Clifford
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Clifford in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Clifford
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Clifford — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Clifford
What does the name Clifford mean?
The ford by the cliff — a river crossing below a steep bank.
Is Clifford a surname?
It began as a place name, became a powerful northern English family name, and then a given name in the nineteenth century.
Is Cliff short for Clifford?
Yes, and also for Clifton, which uses the same first element.
How popular is Clifford?
1352nd in the United States, and our data marks it stable.
Is Clifford a girl's or a boy's name?
Clifford is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Clifford?
Clifford has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Clifford?
Clifford is usually shortened to Cliff.
Is Clifford a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Clifford currently ranks #1,238 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.