Clifton
Clifton is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Clifton Abraham, American and Canadian football player Clifton Bailey, Jamaican reggae musician, better known as Capleton Clifton Bloomfield, American serial killer Clifton R. Breckinridge (1846–1932), American politician Clifton Campbell, American sprinter Clifton Bush, American professional basketball player Clifton B.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Clifton
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Clifton is a given name. Notable people with the name include:Clifton Abraham, American and Canadian football player Clifton Bailey, Jamaican reggae musician, better known as Capleton Clifton Bloomfield, American serial killer Clifton R. Breckinridge (1846–1932), American politician Clifton Campbell, American sprinter Clifton Bush, American professional basketball player Clifton B.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Clifton
The earliest SSA record of Clifton as a baby boy name dates back to 1880, when 38 babies received it. 1975 was its biggest year on record, with 1,214 newborns named Clifton — #186 in the national rankings. As of 2026, Clifton ranks #1,816 for baby boys with 90 births, gradually falling (-12%). All told, over 70K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Clifton
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Clifton. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Clifton
Phonetically similar names — useful when Clifton 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 Clifton
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How popular is Clifton in 2026?
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Is Clifton a unisex name?
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About the name Clifton
Clifton is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 70K births in the dataset. Clifton's peak popularity came in 1975 when it ranked #144. Use the chart and map above to compare Clifton's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1975 →
- Names of the 1970s →
- 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.