Clifton

Where Clifton comes from

*Literally meaning "town by a cliff." From Old English clif (“cliff”) + tūn (“town”). Analyzable as cliff + -ton. *In Oregon County, Missouri, from Cliff + -ton. From being named after a Cliff, or which may be clipped to Clif.
— Wiktionary's entry for Clifton
  • 2 syllables
Along the way
  1. 1880
    First SSA year
    Already #273 among boys — 38 babies in the first year on record.
  2. 1889
    Clifton Webb born
    American actor, singer and dancer
  3. 1915
    Peak, #144
    820 babies named Clifton — more than any year before or since.
  4. 1970
    Clifton Collins born
    American actor
  5. 1992
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #537.
In the dictionary
  • A male given name transferred from the surname.
Namesakes
  • Clifton Webb · American actor, singer and dancer, 1889–1966
  • Clifton Collins · American actor, born 1970
  • Clifton Williams · American astronaut, 1932–1967
  • Clifton James · American actor, 1921–2017
  • Clifton Powell · American actor and comedian, born 1956

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.