Explore the Family Name Clifford
The meaning of Clifford
1. English and Irish: habitational name from any of various places called Clifford in Devon, Gloucestershire, and Yorkshire, and in particular Herefordshire. The placename is derived from Old English clif ‘slope’ + ford ‘ford’. 2. Irish: adoption of the name in 1 above as Anglicization of several Irish names, especially Ó Clúmháin ‘descendant of Clúmhán’, which was the surname of an ecclesiastical family in Sligo and can be traced back to the 12th century. The personal name meant ‘little hairy one’, a diminutive of Irish clúmach ‘hairy’, from clúmh ‘feathers, plumage, down; hair or fur’. Clifford was also adopted for Coleman and in Fermanagh for Crifferty, Clifferty, and Cliffordy, which are Anglicized forms of Mac Raibheartaigh (compare Rafferty). History: A powerful Anglo-Norman family of this name in England and Ireland trace their descent from Walter de Clifford, who took the name from Clifford (Castle) in Herefordshire in the 12th century, after acquiring the Clifford barony by marriage.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Clifford in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Clifford saw a decline in popularity from 2000 to 2010. The rank of the name dropped by approximately 8.88%, from 1486 in 2000 to 1618 in 2010. Despite this, the actual number of people with the Clifford surname slightly increased by 1.23% during this period, from 21,974 to 22,245 individuals. However, when analyzing the proportion per 100,000 people, there was a decrease of about 7.48%, indicating that while the count may have increased, it did not keep pace with the overall population growth.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,486 | #1,618 | -8.88% |
| Count | 21,974 | 22,245 | 1.23% |
| Proportion per 100k | 8.15 | 7.54 | -7.48% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Clifford
In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows some shifts between 2000 and 2010. There was an increase in the percentage of people with the Clifford surname who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander (0.56% to 0.74%), two or more races (1.29% to 1.60%), Hispanic (1.61% to 2.96%) and Black (3.53% to 3.70%). Meanwhile, those identifying as White decreased from 91.16% to 89.17%. The proportion of those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native remained steady at 1.84%. These changes reflect the evolving ethnic identity associated with the surname Clifford in the United States.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 91.16% | 89.17% | -2.18% |
| Black | 3.53% | 3.7% | 4.82% |
| Hispanic | 1.61% | 2.96% | 83.85% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.84% | 1.84% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 1.29% | 1.6% | 24.03% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.56% | 0.74% | 32.14% |
Clifford ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Clifford is British & Irish, which comprises 60.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (17.8%) and Eastern European (4.1%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 60.6% |
| French & German | 17.8% |
| Eastern European | 4.1% |
| Other | 17.4% |
Possible origins of the surname Clifford
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Clifford have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 89.40% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 89.30% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 89.30% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 89.30% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 88.80% |
What Clifford haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Clifford is R-L21, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L21 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-A159 and R-FGC11293, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Mckay, Black, Conner, Kelley, Thomson, Marshall, Clarke, Collins, Evans, Obrien.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Clifford surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Clifford have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Clifford" Surname 41.1%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Clifford" Surname 26.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Clifford" Surname 20.6%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Clifford" Surname 17.2%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Clifford?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Clifford are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition