Holding steady.
Popularity of Cliford since 1914
Babies named Cliford per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1925, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Cliford's real moment was 1914.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 36 |
| 1920s | 103 |
| 1930s | 72 |
| 1940s | 29 |
| 1950s | 12 |
| 1960s | 17 |
| 1970s | 12 |
| 1980s | 5 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Cliford is a rare variant spelling of the more common Clifford, first recorded in U.S. data in 1914. Despite a peak in that same year, the name never achieved widespread popularity and has remained extremely uncommon. Its trajectory has been stable but virtually invisible in modern naming statistics, with no appearances in recent top-ranked lists. The name reflects a pattern of simplifying traditional spellings, a trend seen in the early 20th century. While Cliford lacks the historical weight of its parent name, it carries the same earthy, topographic meaning: a ford near a cliff.
Cliford is a variant spelling of Clifford, an English surname and given name derived from a place name meaning 'ford near a cliff' (from Old English 'clif' meaning cliff and 'ford' meaning ford). The name Clifford was used as a surname before becoming a given name, and Cliford represents a simplified or phonetic variant that emerged in the early 20th century.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Cliff, Ford
Variants: Clifford
Sibling names for Cliford
Names that share Cliford's style, for a brother or sister.
