Cliffard

Meaning & origin

Cliffard is a rare variant spelling of Clifford, a name with Old English roots meaning 'ford near a cliff'. The name first appeared in U.S. records in 1917, and its peak year of usage was 1931, during the early 20th century when traditional English surnames were common as first names. The trajectory rating indicates stable but very low usage, with no significant revival in recent decades. In the 1930s, the name was part of a trend toward strong, masculine-sounding names, but it never achieved widespread popularity and has remained uncommon. As of most recent data, Cliffard is not recorded among the top baby names, reflecting its status as a rare choice.

Cliffard is a variant spelling of Clifford, an English surname and given name derived from place names. The name combines the Old English elements 'clif' (cliff, steep slope) and 'ford' (ford). Clifford itself emerged as a surname in the Middle Ages before being adopted as a first name. The variant Cliffard appears to be a less common phonetic spelling, possibly influenced by the pronunciation 'KLIF-erd'.