Clifton
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank, 2025
- #1,906 for boys
Clifton is a boys' name, meaning “town by a cliff”. In 2025 it ranked 1,906th for boys in the US (82 babies).
What does Clifton mean?
“town by a cliff”
A male given name transferred from the surname.
From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is Clifton a girl's or a boy's name?
Clifton is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 82 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Clifton in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,906among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 82about 1 in 21,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 11% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 82 boys in the US were named Clifton, making it the 1,906th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,503rd. Its busiest year was 1975, with 1,214 boys.
Half of all the boys named Clifton in the US since 1880 were born between 1930 and 1974, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 88 boys in the US were given Clifton or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,597, up from #1,906 for this spelling alone.
- Clifton 82
- Cliffton 6
Clifton in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 82 | #1,906 |
| 2024 | 95 | #1,735 |
| 2023 | 105 | #1,640 |
| 2022 | 78 | #1,964 |
| 2021 | 91 | #1,763 |
| 2020 | 112 | #1,503 |
| 2019 | 103 | #1,606 |
| 2018 | 102 | #1,606 |
| 2017 | 110 | #1,510 |
| 2016 | 90 | #1,724 |
| 2015 | 113 | #1,475 |
| 2014 | 119 | #1,414 |
| 2013 | 110 | #1,483 |
| 2012 | 130 | #1,314 |
| 2011 | 112 | #1,459 |
| 2010 | 107 | #1,517 |
| 2009 | 132 | #1,314 |
| 2008 | 131 | #1,325 |
| 2007 | 154 | #1,152 |
| 2006 | 146 | #1,154 |
| 2005 | 156 | #1,061 |
| 2004 | 159 | #1,028 |
| 2003 | 173 | #945 |
| 2002 | 163 | #969 |
| 2001 | 201 | #817 |
| 2000 | 232 | #738 |
| 1999 | 215 | #745 |
| 1998 | 240 | #696 |
| 1997 | 221 | #714 |
| 1996 | 232 | #694 |
| 1995 | 249 | #662 |
| 1994 | 267 | #634 |
| 1993 | 311 | #583 |
| 1992 | 355 | #537 |
| 1991 | 411 | #490 |
| 1990 | 440 | #471 |
| 1989 | 506 | #413 |
| 1988 | 518 | #382 |
| 1987 | 552 | #351 |
| 1986 | 609 | #326 |
| 1985 | 643 | #317 |
| 1984 | 644 | #304 |
| 1983 | 609 | #317 |
| 1982 | 718 | #285 |
| 1981 | 788 | #272 |
| 1980 | 804 | #269 |
| 1979 | 782 | #266 |
| 1978 | 863 | #242 |
| 1977 | 828 | #247 |
| 1976 | 871 | #233 |
| 1975 | 1,214 | #186 |
| 1974 | 753 | #257 |
| 1973 | 556 | #316 |
| 1972 | 623 | #297 |
| 1971 | 643 | #304 |
| 1970 | 672 | #301 |
| 1969 | 665 | #293 |
| 1968 | 684 | #281 |
| 1967 | 664 | #281 |
| 1966 | 696 | #277 |
| 1965 | 684 | #287 |
| 1964 | 836 | #265 |
| 1963 | 792 | #273 |
| 1962 | 855 | #262 |
| 1961 | 868 | #270 |
| 1960 | 873 | #270 |
| 1959 | 926 | #262 |
| 1958 | 999 | #250 |
| 1957 | 1,058 | #234 |
| 1956 | 997 | #232 |
| 1955 | 982 | #227 |
| 1954 | 1,038 | #215 |
| 1953 | 960 | #218 |
| 1952 | 942 | #214 |
| 1951 | 955 | #209 |
| 1950 | 1,024 | #201 |
| 1949 | 982 | #204 |
| 1948 | 944 | #205 |
| 1947 | 965 | #204 |
| 1946 | 802 | #214 |
| 1945 | 722 | #199 |
| 1944 | 765 | #195 |
| 1943 | 857 | #187 |
| 1942 | 793 | #198 |
| 1941 | 675 | #203 |
| 1940 | 643 | #202 |
| 1939 | 662 | #194 |
| 1938 | 648 | #197 |
| 1937 | 669 | #193 |
| 1936 | 640 | #193 |
| 1935 | 648 | #196 |
| 1934 | 666 | #189 |
| 1933 | 733 | #177 |
| 1932 | 739 | #183 |
| 1931 | 697 | #188 |
| 1930 | 755 | #184 |
| 1929 | 781 | #178 |
| 1928 | 781 | #183 |
| 1927 | 919 | #163 |
| 1926 | 884 | #165 |
| 1925 | 891 | #171 |
| 1924 | 847 | #172 |
| 1923 | 900 | #166 |
| 1922 | 887 | #168 |
| 1921 | 932 | #160 |
| 1920 | 910 | #157 |
| 1919 | 884 | #150 |
| 1918 | 934 | #152 |
| 1917 | 794 | #159 |
| 1916 | 770 | #156 |
| 1915 | 820 | #144 |
| 1914 | 616 | #150 |
| 1913 | 497 | #149 |
| 1912 | 404 | #148 |
| 1911 | 206 | #163 |
| 1910 | 178 | #168 |
| 1909 | 157 | #159 |
| 1908 | 143 | #162 |
| 1907 | 126 | #171 |
| 1906 | 105 | #173 |
| 1905 | 121 | #165 |
| 1904 | 115 | #164 |
| 1903 | 110 | #159 |
| 1902 | 112 | #156 |
| 1901 | 101 | #154 |
| 1900 | 107 | #189 |
| 1899 | 94 | #160 |
| 1898 | 83 | #186 |
| 1897 | 78 | #194 |
| 1896 | 95 | #168 |
| 1895 | 92 | #169 |
| 1894 | 93 | #165 |
| 1893 | 75 | #193 |
| 1892 | 68 | #213 |
| 1891 | 80 | #161 |
| 1890 | 57 | #219 |
| 1889 | 59 | #217 |
| 1888 | 64 | #219 |
| 1887 | 43 | #244 |
| 1886 | 42 | #262 |
| 1885 | 54 | #220 |
| 1884 | 40 | #269 |
| 1883 | 26 | #324 |
| 1882 | 51 | #231 |
| 1881 | 39 | #252 |
| 1880 | 38 | #273 |
Names like Clifton
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Nelson John Charles Martin Clinton Warren Gordon Robert William Edwin Franklin Joseph
Other spellings of Clifton
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, “Clifton: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/clifton, updated 20 October 2026.