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Home › Baby Names Directory › Cliffie

Cliffie

♀ Girl

Pronounced KLIF-ee /ˈklɪf.i/Medium

Meaning: Cliffie is a diminutive drawn from the Old English place-and-family names Clifford ('ford by a cliff') and Clifton ('settlement by a cliff'). Given to girls in the early twentieth century, it often honored a family surname, softened into a warm -ie name.Low

In 30 seconds: Cliffie is an early-1900s American girl's name, a soft -ie form tied to the Clifford and Clifton family names. It peaks around 1916 (said KLIF-ee).
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Origin LowEnglish
MeaningCliffie is a diminutive drawn from the Old English place-and-family names Clifford ('ford by a cliff') and Clifton ('settlement by a cliff'). Given to girls in the early twentieth century, it often honored a family surname, softened into a warm -ie name.
U.S. rank (1954)#4742 ↗ Rising
1954 U.S. births7 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1916
Total births (all-time)≈ 343

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 191918851954

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Cliffie grew out of the Old English cliff-names Clifford and Clifton, likely passed to daughters as a family tribute and dressed in the fashionable -ie ending of the era. It sits in the same corner as Goldie, Hattie and Nettie.

Never common, it was given to only about fifteen girls a year at its 1916 peak and had faded from records by the mid-1950s. A girl named Cliffie then belongs to a great-grandmother's generation today, and the name remains a period piece rather than a revival candidate.

Did you know? Though Clifford and Clifton were mainly men's names, Cliffie was carried almost entirely by girls, part of a wave of -ie diminutives that turned surnames into sweet given names.
Overall data confidence 30%
References - Cliffie — -ie diminutive tied to Clifford/Clifton (Old English cliff-names); early-1900s US girl usage

Variations

CliffordCliftonCliffordine

Nicknames

CliffEffie

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Cliffie…

Goldie— a same-era sweet -ie girl's name
Hettie— a like vintage -ie diminutive given as a full name
Nettie— a comparable early-1900s -ie name
Millie— a fellow soft -ie girl's name of the period

Explore names like Cliffie

By themerareenglishvintagediminutive

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Cliffie mean?

It is an affectionate -ie form linked to the cliff-names Clifford and Clifton, both Old English, so it carries the sense of 'by the cliff'.

How do you pronounce Cliffie?

It is said KLIF-ee /ˈklɪf.i/ - two syllables.

Is Cliffie a boy or girl name?

Cliffie is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Cliffie?

It was always rare in the United States, given to only about fifteen girls a year even at its peak in the nineteen-tens.

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