Clive
Masculine · “cliff”
Clive is a cliff — the Old English clif — and Clive of India took the surname into imperial history, which is a mixed inheritance.
How old is the name Clive?
Clive first appears in US birth records in 1885 — 140 years ago. The typical Clive alive today was born around 1977, making them about 48 years old. About 2,200 people named Clive are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Clive most popular?
Clive peaked in 1906, reaching #752 nationally. Today it ranks #2390, 1,638 places below that high. See the whole 1906 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From clif to Clive
The story of Clive
Clive is a Shropshire place name meaning a cliff or bank. Robert Clive won Plassey and effectively founded British rule in Bengal, and his conduct there was debated in Parliament in his own lifetime. C. S. Lewis's first name was Clive. It appears in American records in current use.
Meaning
cliff, riverbank
From the Old English clif, 'cliff' or 'slope', through the surname Clive, from places of that name in Shropshire. The word also meant a riverbank. The etymology is documented and undisputed.
How the name formed
- clif
- Clive
Related forms: Cleve · Kleve
Pronouncing Clive
KLYV
One syllable. Said identically in every English accent.
Nicknames for Clive
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1885
- Most boys named
- 201582 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #752reached in 1906
- Change vs 2022
- +3.6%57 in 2025, from 55
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Clive in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Cleve in English — related form
- Kleve in German — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York.
Clives among us
people named Clive are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 29,966 born in 2025 was named Clive
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Clive sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Clive is headed
Clive should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Clive beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Clive in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The cliff meaning is concrete and undisputed.
- C. S. Lewis is a first-rate bearer.
- One syllable, clean, and never mispronounced.
- Clive of India is a contested imperial figure.
- It reads as strongly British.
- It is period-coded to the mid-twentieth century.
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What they receive
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Clive
Masculine · #2390 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Clives are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,200 people named Clive are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Clive in 2025?
- Clive ranks #2390 among US boy names in 2025, with 57 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Clive?
- About 1 in every 29,966 US boys born in 2025 was named Clive — 57 in all.
- Will my child share the name Clive with classmates?
- Clive will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Clive
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Quest#2390 · Jovanny#2390 · Ameen#2390 · Devante#2390 · Austyn#2390 · Deklan#2390 · Erwin#2390 · Blaize#2390
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Clive? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Clive and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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