Clifton

Clifton: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “settlement by a cliff”
Origin: Old English
Say it: KLIF-tən · 2 syllables
Used for: Boys

From an English surname and place name derived from Old English clif 'cliff' and tun 'settlement'. It is primarily a transferred surname-style given name.

English names Names meaning nature Names meaning earth Surname-style names Classic names

How popular is Clifton?

202428.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Clifton in 202494

2024 rank#1,744 boys

Peak year1915

Total US babies since 188070,600

Clifton is steady now but far below its 1915 peak.

Names like Clifton

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Wesleywestern meadow · Old English
Westonwestern settlement · Old English
Blakeblack; pale · Old English
Oakleyoak clearing · Old English
Edwardwealthy guardian · Old English
Ashtonash tree town · Old English
Kingstonking's town · Old English
Brandonbroom-covered hill · Old English

Clifton questions

What does the name Clifton mean?

Clifton means "settlement by a cliff". It comes from Old English. From an English surname and place name derived from Old English clif 'cliff' and tun 'settlement'. It is primarily a transferred surname-style given name.

Is Clifton a boy or girl name?

Clifton is mainly a boy's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Clifton?

94 US babies were named Clifton in 2024. Its peak year was 1915.

How do you pronounce Clifton?

Clifton is usually pronounced KLIF-tən.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.