70%RatingSave Gender Masculine Usage English Pronounced Pron. KLIF-tən [key·IPA] Meaning & History From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "settlement by a cliff" in Old English. Related NamesFamily Tree·Details DiminutiveCliff PopularityDetails Last ranked #944 in 2003 United States People think this name isRate·Details classic mature formal upper class natural wholesome strong refined strange serious nerdy Categories accordionists, currently out of the US top 1000, drummers, How to Train Your Dragon characters, isograms, surnames