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Home › Baby Names Directory › Cliford

Cliford

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Cliford

Pronounced KLIF-erd /ˈklɪf.ərd/High

Meaning: Cliford is a single-f spelling of Clifford, an English surname turned first name from Old English 'clif' ('cliff, slope') and 'ford' ('river crossing') - so 'the ford by the cliff.' The dropped f is a simple spelling variant; the meaning is Clifford's.Low

In 30 seconds: Cliford is a one-f spelling of Clifford, 'the ford by the cliff' (say it KLIF-erd). A plain early-century boy's name.
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Origin LowEnglish, Old English
MeaningCliford is a single-f spelling of Clifford, an English surname turned first name from Old English 'clif' ('cliff, slope') and 'ford' ('river crossing') - so 'the ford by the cliff.' The dropped f is a simple spelling variant; the meaning is Clifford's.
U.S. rank (1987)#7146 ↘ Falling
1987 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1925
Total births (all-time)≈ 286

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 192519141987

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

Cliford is a spelling variant of Clifford, from the Old English words for 'cliff' and 'ford' - a crossing by a slope. Clifford moved from surname to first name in the nineteenth century, and the single-f spelling followed as a rarer companion. It stayed scarce, cresting at only about fifteen boys a year around 1925 before fading.

A Cliford from its peak would belong to a great-grandfather's generation. Its steady two-beat sound is Clifford's exactly; it sits beside Clifton, Wilford, and Milford - the -ford names of the era - and reads as vintage. The standard Clifford carried nearly all the use.

Did you know? Clifford began as an English place and surname for a river crossing beneath a slope, and simple spellings like Cliford trimmed one of its two f's along the way.
Overall data confidence 50%
References - Cliford — Spelling variant of Clifford

Variations

CliffordCliftonCliff

Nicknames

CliffFord

Famous Bearers

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If you like Cliford…

Clifford— the standard spelling Cliford trims
Clifton— a like Clif- vintage boy name
Wilford— another -ford name of the era
Milford— a same-period -ford boy name

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Cliford mean?

Cliford carries Clifford's meaning, 'the ford by the cliff,' from the Old English words clif and ford.

How do you pronounce Cliford?

It is said KLIF-erd, two syllables with the stress on the first, exactly like Clifford.

Is Cliford a boy or a girl name?

Cliford is a boy's name.

Is Cliford a popular name?

No. This spelling has always been rare, reaching its modest best around nineteen-twenty-five, while the standard Clifford carried nearly all the use.

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