Find out how popular the last name Cliff is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cliff.

Cliff, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cliff surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cliff in America

Cliff is the 12856th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cliff surname appeared 2,395 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Cliff.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cliff to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Cliff

The surname CLIFF is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "clif," meaning a steep rock or high bank. It likely originated as a topographic name, given to someone who lived near or on a cliff. The name is first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Cliue" and "Cliva."

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Robert de Cliff, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166. Another early record is of William Clyff, who was listed in the Lancashire Assize Rolls of 1246.

The name CLIFF may also have derived from place names containing the word "cliff," such as Cliff Pypard in Wiltshire or Cliff Hill in Shropshire. These place names themselves were descriptive of the local topography.

In the 13th century, the name appeared as "de la Clyf" and "atte Clyve," indicating the person lived near or on a cliff. Over time, the prefixes "de la" and "atte" were dropped, leaving just the surname CLIFF.

Notable individuals with the surname CLIFF include Adam de Cliff, a 13th-century English landowner and nobleman mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1214. John Cliff (c. 1585-1623) was an English Puritan clergyman and author of several theological works.

In the 17th century, there was Samuel Cliff (1623-1692), an English Puritan minister and one of the founders of the Old Meeting House in Birmingham. Edward Cliff (1791-1873) was a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a diplomat.

Another prominent bearer of the name was William Cliff (1824-1896), an English businessman and Conservative politician who served as Mayor of Bradford and Member of Parliament for the borough.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cliff

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cliff.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cliff was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cliff has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Cliff was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cliff, please contact us.

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