The first name Cliff

Cliff last appeared in the official list in 2013, given to 4 boys.

Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Cliff with other names.

In 2025, 43 boys born in the United States were named Cliff, the 2,895th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1959, when 310 were.

US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.

• Cliff Williams
  English musician, born 1949
• Cliff Martinez
  American musician and composer, composer, drummer, born 1954
• Cliff Bastin
  English footballer (1912-1991)
• Cliff DeYoung
  American actor (b. 1945)
• Cliff Barker
  American basketball player (1921–1998)
• Cliff Bourland
  American sprinter (1921–2018)
• Cliff Bleszinski
  American video game designer, born 1975
• Cliff Young
  Australian ultra marathon runner (1922–2003)
• Cliff Arquette
  American actor (1905–1974)
• Cliff Gorman
  American actor (1936-2002)
• Cliff Eidelman
  American composer, born 1964
• Cliff Compton
  American professional wrestler, born 1979

What does the name Cliff mean?

The given name is from shortenings of the diminutives. The surname is from the noun cliff.

How popular is the name Cliff?

In 2013, 4 boys born in England and Wales were named Cliff, ranking 3,822nd.

Is Cliff a boy's or a girl's name?

Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 9,307 US babies named Cliff since 1880 were boys.

When was Cliff most popular?

1959 in the United States, when 310 babies were named Cliff, its highest rank at 456th.

Is Cliff also a surname?

Yes. Cliff is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.