Clifford

Did you know?

A few things about Clifford you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Clifford

Clifford Shull

American physicist (1915–2001)

Choose Clifford and your child shares a first name with Clifford Shull, an American physicist. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Clifford, like who?” Clifford Shull's Wikipedia article is available in 62 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Clifford Shull on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Photo is from US Atomic Energy Commission or Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Article rights are T. E. Mason et al. 2013 (, CC BY 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 12,285 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Clifford, 139 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Clifford would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryClifford has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Cliffords, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1909, when it ranked #57. Today it's #1,352, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📍Where it's lovedClifford is most popular in Iowa, where it ranks #571, followed by Minnesota (#586) and South Carolina (#668). It's in the top 1,000 in 6 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Old English, Clifford means “ford by a cliff”.

About the name Clifford

Clifford is a boy name of English origin meaning “ford by a cliff”. It has 8 letters and 2 syllables, starting with C and ending in “-ord”. US birth records list Clifford for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1909, when it ranked #57 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #1,352, with 139 babies.

Origin:English names