Clifford
Clifford is both a toponymic surname of English origin and a given name deriving from it. It originated in several English placenames meaning "ford by a cliff".
Meaning & Origin of Clifford
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Clifford is both a toponymic surname of English origin and a given name deriving from it. It originated in several English placenames meaning "ford by a cliff".
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Clifford
Clifford first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 127 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1925, when 3,424 Cliffords were born — ranking #59 that year. As of 2026, Clifford ranks #1,368 for baby boys with 139 births, gradually falling (-6%). In total, more than 188K Cliffords have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Clifford
Phonetically similar names — useful when Clifford is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Clifford
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About the name Clifford
Clifford is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 188K births in the dataset. Clifford's peak popularity came in 1925 when it ranked #57. Use the chart and map above to compare Clifford's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1925 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "C" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.