2000
#1,486
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,974
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.15
Uncommon Last name
Clifford
Derived from a place name meaning "ford by a cliff" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,253 Americans carry the last name Clifford. That puts it at #1,659 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,132 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clifford surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Clifford with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,132
Census rank
#1,659
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,150 bearers of the surname Clifford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1659th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clifford, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Clifford
The surname Clifford originated in England, with its roots dating back to the early medieval period. The name derives from the Old English words "clif," meaning a cliff or slope, and "ford," referring to a shallow river crossing. Thus, Clifford likely denoted someone who lived near a cliff or steep slope by a river ford.
Clifford first appeared in written records during the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century. It is believed that the name was introduced to Britain by Norman nobility who adopted the moniker after settling in areas with such geographical features. The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, mentions several individuals with the surname Clifford or similar spellings like Clifford or Clyfford.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Clifford name is Walter de Clifford, who lived in the late 11th and early 12th centuries. He was a Norman landowner who held estates in Herefordshire and other parts of the Welsh Marches. The Clifford family later became prominent Marcher Lords, playing a significant role in the conflicts between England and Wales during the Middle Ages.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Clifford surname. One of the most renowned was Roger de Clifford (c. 1330-1389), a prominent military commander during the Hundred Years' War. He served as a Marshal of England and fought in numerous battles, including the Battle of Poitiers in 1356.
Another prominent Clifford was Anne Clifford (1590-1676), a wealthy heiress and landowner who fought legal battles to claim her inheritance. She is remembered for her extensive renovations of several castles and her patronage of the arts and literature.
In the realm of literature, the Clifford name gained prominence through the work of Martin Clifford (c. 1624-1677), an English poet and translator who was part of the literary circle around John Dryden.
The Clifford surname also has ties to the scientific community. William Kingdon Clifford (1845-1879) was a renowned English mathematician and philosopher who made significant contributions to the fields of geometry and physics.
Finally, the Clifford family has left its mark on the United States as well. Nathan Clifford (1803-1881) was a prominent American jurist who served as a Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States from 1858 to 1881.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clifford
Among Census respondents with the surname Clifford, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Clifford bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Clifford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.0% · 18,185
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 865
- Two or more races3.6% · 771
- Black or African American3.5% · 738
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 373
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 218
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clifford
Clifford appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,245
+271 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 7.54
Rank movement Down 132 places
2020
#1,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,150
-1,095 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 7.08
Rank movement Down 41 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,486 | 21,974 | 8.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,618 | 22,245 | 7.54 | +271 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 132 places |
| 2020 | #1,659 | 21,150 | 7.08 | -1,095 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 41 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Clifford surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,618 | #1,659 | -2.5% |
| Count | 22,245 | 21,150 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 7.54 | 7.08 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clifford bearers went from 22,245 to 21,150 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 41 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,618 to #1,659.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Clifford
FAQ
Clifford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clifford?
Name Census estimates that about 24,253 living Americans carry the surname Clifford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,132 residents.
How common is Clifford?
Clifford ranks #1,659 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,150 people with the surname Clifford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,253), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Clifford.
Has Clifford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clifford went from 22,245 recorded bearers to 21,150. That is a decrease of 1,095 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,618 to #1,659.
What does the Census say about the background of Clifford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clifford, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Clifford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.0% (18,185 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clifford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.0%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Clifford (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Clifford mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "ford by a cliff" in Old English. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Clifford (7.08 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Clifford?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Clifford on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.