Clifford
Meaning of Clifford
Clifford, a name hewn from the Old English elements “clif” and “ford,” meaning “the river-crossing by the cliff,” stands with the still confidence of a granite headland in mist, and, like a brushstroke in a sumi-e landscape, it hints at both height and passage— the sheer face of resolve overlooking the quiet waterway of change. Across medieval England it echoed through baronial halls, later drifting westward on immigrant tides to America, where its popularity swelled and receded in slow, tidal rhythms much as moon-pulled waves rise against the rugged shores of Ise; yet, even as its ranking has slipped from the lofty peaks of the early 20th century into today’s more secluded coves, Clifford keeps the dignified composure of a samurai in formal hakama, neither clamoring for attention nor surrendering its lineage. Literary shadows— from noble House Clifford in Shakespearean chronicles to the gentle giant of children’s pages, Clifford the Big Red Dog— add contrasting strokes of valor and kindness, painting a balanced portrait that invites parents to imagine a son who can stride with quiet strength across life’s precipices, his name a bridge between cliff and current, antiquity and future.
Pronunciation
English
- Pronunced as KLIF-erd (/ˈklɪfərd/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
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Notable People Named Clifford
| Clifford Odets was an American playwright whose socially charged Depression-era dramas inspired later greats like Arthur Miller and David Mamet. |
| Clifford A. Pickover - Clifford Pickover is an American author and former IBM researcher who has written more than 50 books on science and math and holds over 835 US patents. |
| Clifford D. Simak - Clifford Simak was an American science fiction writer known for his pastoral stories, earning three Hugo Awards, a Nebula Award, and the title of SFWA Grand Master. |
| Clifford Brown was a brilliant American jazz trumpeter and composer whose standards like Joy Spring and Daahoud still shine, despite his life being cut short at just 25. |
| Clifford Robinson was an NBA All-Star and Sixth Man of the Year who played 18 seasons in the league, starting with eight years in Portland. |
| Clifford May is an American journalist who founded the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and writes a weekly column for The Washington Times. |
| Clifford Alexander Jr. was a New York lawyer and public servant who became the first African American Secretary of the Army in 1977. |
| Clifford Glenwood Shull was an American physicist who shared the 1994 Nobel Prize in Physics for pioneering neutron scattering techniques. |
| Clifford Stoll - Cliff Stoll is an American astronomer, author, and teacher. |
| Clifford Jordan was a Chicago-born jazz tenor saxophonist and composer who played with greats like Max Roach and Horace Silver before leading his own big band. |
| Clifford Taubes is a Harvard mathematician celebrated for his work in gauge theory and geometry and is the brother of journalist Gary Taubes. |
| John Clifford Rose was a British actor. |
| Clifford W. Beers - Clifford Beers was an American author who drew on his own psychiatric hospitalization to found the mental hygiene movement. |
| Clifford Ann Creed is a retired American golfer who joined the LPGA Tour in 1963 and won eleven tour events. |
| Clifford Mitchell Walker was an American lawyer and politician who served as Governor of Georgia. |
