Cliffard
A unique name likely meaning "dweller on a cliffside slope".
Name Census estimates that about 35 living Americans carry the first name Cliffard. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Cliffard today is around 81 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cliffard births was 1931 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cliffard. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Cliffard is about 81 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Cliffards were born before 1955.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Cliffard. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
35
~ 1 in 9,792,981 Americans
Peak year
1931
10 babies that year
Average age
81
years old
1967 SSA rank
#4,064
Tracked since 1917
Census
Cliffard in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 100 people with the first name Cliffard, which placed it at #53,336 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#53,336
National first-name rank
People counted
100
100 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
76.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cliffard
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cliffard is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Cliffard described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Cliffard at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.0% · 76
- Black or African American21.0% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Popularity
Cliffard: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cliffard from the 1910s through to the 1960s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 43 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cliffard by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Cliffard during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cliffard
The name Cliffard has its origins in the Old English language, derived from the words "clif" meaning cliff or steep slope, and "ard" meaning hardy or brave. It was primarily used in the Anglo-Saxon regions of England during the medieval period, around the 8th to 11th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cliffard can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of the Great Survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as a personal name, suggesting its usage among the Anglo-Saxon population during that time.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Cliffard was associated with individuals hailing from coastal or mountainous regions, reflecting the name's connection to rugged terrain. It was particularly prevalent in areas like Dorset, Devon, and Cornwall, where cliffs and steep slopes were abundant.
One notable figure bearing the name Cliffard was Sir Cliffard de Montfort, a 13th-century knight who fought alongside Simon de Montfort during the Second Barons' War against King Henry III in the 1260s. He was known for his bravery and loyalty to the baronial cause.
Another historical figure was Cliffard the Scribe, a 14th-century monk and calligrapher at the Benedictine monastery in Canterbury. He is renowned for his exquisite illuminated manuscripts, which are now preserved in various libraries and museums across Europe.
In the 15th century, Cliffard Hawkins, a merchant and adventurer from Bristol, gained recognition for his voyages to the Canary Islands and his efforts in establishing trade routes with the local inhabitants.
During the Tudor period, Cliffard Neville was a prominent courtier who served as a member of the Privy Council under King Henry VIII. He played a significant role in the dissolution of the monasteries and the English Reformation.
The name Cliffard also has a connection to religious texts, as it is mentioned in some medieval manuscripts and records of monastic orders. However, its appearance in major religious scriptures or ancient texts is relatively limited.
While the name Cliffard was more commonly used in the past, particularly during the medieval and early modern periods, it has become less prevalent in modern times. Nevertheless, its historical roots and associations with bravery, resilience, and connection to the rugged landscape make it a unique and evocative name with a rich heritage.
People
Cliffard + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cliffard as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cliffard: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cliffard?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 35 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cliffard going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 9,792,981 US residents.
Is Cliffard a common name?
We classify Cliffard as "Very Rare". It ranks above 48.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 142 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cliffard most popular?
The single biggest year for Cliffard was 1931, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cliffard is about 81 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Cliffard in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 100 people with the name Cliffard, or 0.03 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #53,336 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Cliffard in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Cliffard?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Cliffard appears almost entirely male. Of the 102 people counted with this name, 99.0% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Cliffard?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cliffard is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Cliffard most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Cliffard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.0% (76 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Cliffard in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cliffard a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cliffard in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Cliffard still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cliffard in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Cliffard can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Cliffard?
You can see how many people share the name Cliffard on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.