Clifford Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Clifford last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Clifford last name
Meaning of the Clifford last name: ford by a cliff. Clifford is an English surname for a family from Clifford in Herefordshire, a "ford by a cliff" on the river Wye. The last name spread with the powerful Cliffords to Westmorland and Yorkshire. Curiously, Rosamund Clifford, remembered as Fair Rosamund, was the beloved of King Henry II.
Arms associated with the Clifford name
Heraldry associated with the Clifford surname uses a few strong colours, and each coat of arms has its own blazon.
Get your full Clifford family history
This is only a glimpse of the Clifford story. The full Clifford history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Clifford coat of arms. Get the full Clifford report.
Clifford name FAQ
What does the Clifford name mean?
Ford by a cliff. Common variants include Cliford, Clifforde.
Where does the Clifford surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Clifford coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Clifford coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).