Cliff
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- KLIF
- Origin
- English
- US rank, 2025
- #2,883 for boys
Cliff is a boys' name of English origin, meaning “cliff”. In 2025 it ranked 2,883rd for boys in the US (43 babies).
What does Cliff mean?
English: short form of Clifford, an English place name and surname
“cliff”
Clifford began as an English place name meaning 'ford by a cliff' or 'ford by a slope'.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Cliff a girl's or a boy's name?
Cliff is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 43 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Cliff in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 2,883rd among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 43 about 1 in 40,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 31% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 43 boys in the US were named Cliff, making it the 2,883rd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 2,657th. Its busiest year was 1959, with 310 boys.
It has been given to more boys each year for the last 4 years. 2025 had more boys named Cliff than any year since 2020.
Half of all the boys named Cliff in the US since 1880 were born between 1946 and 1976, the years shaded on the chart below.
Cliff in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 43 | #2,883 |
| 2024 | 41 | #3,000 |
| 2023 | 39 | #3,115 |
| 2022 | 33 | #3,462 |
| 2021 | 29 | #3,736 |
| 2020 | 47 | #2,657 |
| 2019 | 26 | #4,000 |
| 2018 | 21 | #4,606 |
| 2017 | 24 | #4,220 |
| 2016 | 19 | #4,941 |
| 2015 | 17 | #5,285 |
| 2014 | 20 | #4,698 |
| 2013 | 14 | #5,919 |
| 2012 | 13 | #6,300 |
| 2011 | 21 | #4,507 |
| 2010 | 19 | #4,845 |
| 2009 | 12 | #6,798 |
| 2008 | 16 | #5,482 |
| 2007 | 20 | #4,638 |
| 2006 | 18 | #4,861 |
| 2005 | 17 | #4,819 |
| 2004 | 14 | #5,487 |
| 2003 | 15 | #5,030 |
| 2002 | 14 | #5,124 |
| 2001 | 19 | #4,115 |
| 2000 | 28 | #3,069 |
| 1999 | 21 | #3,586 |
| 1998 | 27 | #2,923 |
| 1997 | 28 | #2,746 |
| 1996 | 22 | #3,197 |
| 1995 | 24 | #2,918 |
| 1994 | 25 | #2,842 |
| 1993 | 22 | #3,036 |
| 1992 | 47 | #1,773 |
| 1991 | 54 | #1,567 |
| 1990 | 53 | #1,559 |
| 1989 | 72 | #1,276 |
| 1988 | 70 | #1,212 |
| 1987 | 64 | #1,200 |
| 1986 | 82 | #1,022 |
| 1985 | 109 | #866 |
| 1984 | 119 | #800 |
| 1983 | 135 | #743 |
| 1982 | 142 | #729 |
| 1981 | 146 | #714 |
| 1980 | 143 | #733 |
| 1979 | 118 | #798 |
| 1978 | 91 | #901 |
| 1977 | 89 | #899 |
| 1976 | 83 | #911 |
| 1975 | 80 | #916 |
| 1974 | 99 | #807 |
| 1973 | 110 | #763 |
| 1972 | 104 | #783 |
| 1971 | 130 | #723 |
| 1970 | 157 | #653 |
| 1969 | 147 | #651 |
| 1968 | 124 | #675 |
| 1967 | 128 | #660 |
| 1966 | 151 | #606 |
| 1965 | 174 | #578 |
| 1964 | 230 | #513 |
| 1963 | 262 | #494 |
| 1962 | 229 | #526 |
| 1961 | 280 | #478 |
| 1960 | 251 | #497 |
| 1959 | 310 | #455 |
| 1958 | 247 | #493 |
| 1957 | 247 | #495 |
| 1956 | 147 | #625 |
| 1955 | 148 | #607 |
| 1954 | 127 | #648 |
| 1953 | 92 | #743 |
| 1952 | 88 | #750 |
| 1951 | 67 | #851 |
| 1950 | 94 | #705 |
| 1949 | 89 | #728 |
| 1948 | 109 | #646 |
| 1947 | 140 | #572 |
| 1946 | 99 | #648 |
| 1945 | 97 | #612 |
| 1944 | 86 | #667 |
| 1943 | 74 | #751 |
| 1942 | 75 | #740 |
| 1941 | 69 | #746 |
| 1940 | 72 | #718 |
| 1939 | 71 | #707 |
| 1938 | 56 | #825 |
| 1937 | 64 | #764 |
| 1936 | 56 | #816 |
| 1935 | 59 | #803 |
| 1934 | 57 | #828 |
| 1933 | 44 | #946 |
| 1932 | 46 | #963 |
| 1931 | 47 | #959 |
| 1930 | 45 | #1,021 |
| 1929 | 44 | #1,026 |
| 1928 | 33 | #1,254 |
| 1927 | 40 | #1,128 |
| 1926 | 46 | #1,018 |
| 1925 | 37 | #1,164 |
| 1924 | 27 | #1,458 |
| 1923 | 49 | #992 |
| 1922 | 39 | #1,140 |
| 1921 | 46 | #1,026 |
| 1920 | 43 | #1,073 |
| 1919 | 42 | #1,047 |
| 1918 | 45 | #996 |
| 1917 | 41 | #1,017 |
| 1916 | 52 | #877 |
| 1915 | 58 | #791 |
| 1914 | 34 | #949 |
| 1913 | 16 | #1,310 |
| 1912 | 28 | #835 |
| 1911 | 21 | #689 |
| 1910 | 20 | #654 |
| 1909 | 19 | #615 |
| 1908 | 21 | #553 |
| 1907 | 18 | #591 |
| 1906 | 22 | #472 |
| 1905 | 23 | #463 |
| 1904 | 24 | #431 |
| 1903 | 19 | #487 |
| 1902 | 16 | #536 |
| 1901 | 15 | #506 |
| 1900 | 17 | #603 |
| 1899 | 15 | #502 |
| 1898 | 18 | #485 |
| 1897 | 16 | #495 |
| 1896 | 13 | #592 |
| 1895 | 21 | #426 |
| 1894 | 17 | #480 |
| 1893 | 17 | #448 |
| 1892 | 13 | #571 |
| 1891 | 12 | #524 |
| 1890 | 15 | #489 |
| 1889 | 15 | #482 |
| 1888 | 15 | #505 |
| 1887 | 17 | #409 |
| 1886 | 23 | #357 |
| 1885 | 14 | #498 |
| 1884 | 13 | #520 |
| 1883 | 10 | #597 |
| 1882 | 13 | #514 |
| 1881 | 5 | #865 |
| 1880 | 7 | #745 |
Names like Cliff
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Charles, Lee, James, John, Jay, Clark, George, Frank, Clyde, Wade, Roy, Wayne
More English names
Lily, Evelyn, Hudson, Ivy, Harper, Grace, Violet, Willow, Daisy, Poppy, Riley, Oakley, Mason, Cooper, Ruby, Hallie
Sources
Figures from Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Cliff: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/cliff, updated 20 October 2026.