Clifton
Boy nameClifton has been given to 70,685 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1975.
Meaning & origin /ˈklɪftən/
Literally meaning "town by a cliff." From Old English clif (“cliff”) + tūn (“town”). Analyzable as cliff +‎ -ton. *In Oregon County, Missouri, from Cliff +‎ -ton. From being named after a Cliff, or which may be clipped to Clif.
Origin: surnames
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
70,685
Peak year
1975 (1,224 babies)
Rank in 2025
Below top 1000
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▼ -27%
Gender split
1% girls / 99% boys
Famous people named Clifton
Paul George
American basketball player (born 1990)
Clifton Webb
American actor, singer, dancer (1889–1966)
Clifton Collins
American actor
Clifton Williams
American astronaut (1932–1967)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Clifton.
Get new name insights first
Occasional updates when we add new data & tools. No spam, unsubscribe anytime by replying to any email or writing to hello@zalize.com.
By subscribing you agree to our privacy policy. We store only your email address and the date you signed up.