CLIFFORD
Clifford is a locational surname of Anglo‑Saxon origin that appears throughout the British Isles, with a particular concentration in England. Its etymology derives from the Old English words clif, meaning a cliff, slope or steep bank, and ford, a shallow place in a river where people and livestock may cross. Consequently, the surname originally signified either “one who lives near a cliff‑ford” or “one who comes from a place called Clifford.”
The earliest recorded spellings of the place names that gave rise to the surname are Clifort and Cliford, documented in the Domesday Book of 1086. These entries refer to settlements in Gloucestershire, Devonshire, Herefordshire and West Yorkshire. The name thus reflects a geographic feature – a ford situated by a prominent cliff or slope – and the surname was adopted by persons who had moved away from the original village and were identified by their former home.
In medieval England the surname appears in various legal and fiscal records. Walter de Clifford is the first recorded bearer, whose name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire dated 1182, during the reign of King Henry the Builder of Churches (1154‑1189). His family later came to own Clifford Castle near Hay‑on‑Wye, and through marriage they held the baronies of Westmoreland and the Earldom of Cumberland. The hereditary title of Lord Clifford of Chudleigh was bestowed upon Thomas Clifford (1630‑1673), a prominent minister of King Charles the Second.
Clifford also demonstrates the reach of English colonisation. An early settler named Oliver Clifford, aged eighteen, travelled to Virginia aboard the Primrose in July 1635, arriving from London. His journey reflects the wider movement of individuals bearing Anglo‑Saxon surnames across the Atlantic during the 17th century.
Today, the surname Clifford remains predominantly found in the United Kingdom, retaining its connection to its ancient place‑based origins while continuing to serve as a hereditary marker of family lineage within Christian communities of England.
Typical given names associated with the Clifford surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Barbara
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Julie
- Karen
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Clifford in...
Braille
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Morse
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Clifford are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Jaffa Cake.
There are approximately 14,806 people named Clifford in the UK. That makes it the 601st most common surname in Britain. Around 227 in a million people in Britain are named Clifford.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Clifford
- Max Clifford - Disgraced publicist and convicted sex offender (1943 to 2017)
- Keith Clifford - Actor
- Stephanie Clifford - American pornographic actress, screenwriter and director
- Hugh Clifford - Colonial administrator (1866 to 1941)
- Peggy Ann Clifford - Actress (1917 to 1998)
- Billy Clifford - Football player
- Lucy Clifford - Writer (1846 to 1929)
- William Kingdon Clifford - Mathematician and philosopher (1845 to 1879)
- Thomas Clifford, 14th Baron Clifford of Chudleigh - Baron
- Thomas Clifford, 1st Baron Clifford of Chudleigh - Noble (1630 to 1673)
- Lady Anne Clifford, 14th Baroness de Clifford - Countess (1590 to 1676)
- Daniel Clifford - Chef
- George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland - Noble (1558 to 1605)
- Kim Clifford - Actress
- Timothy Clifford - Art historian
- Francis Clifford - Author (1917 to 1975)
- Ian Clifford - Cricketer
- Margaret Clifford, Countess of Cumberland - Noble (1560 to 1616)
- Colleen Clifford - Australian actress (1898 to 1996)
- Henry Hugh Clifford - Recipient of the Victoria Cross (1826 to 1883)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.