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Clive

Heart
English
"lives near a high cliff"

Clive Origin and Meaning

The name Clive is a boy's name of English origin meaning "lives near a high cliff".

Clive started life as a surname for someone who lived near a cliff, making it a secret outdoorsy name.

Its use as a first name began in honor of Robert Clive (aka Clive of India), an eighteenth-century British statesman and military leader, essentially the founder of British India — which in the past has given the name something of a gung-ho, mustachioed image. In England today it's a grandpa name, most common on men born in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, and would be a surprising (pleasantly counter-cultural!) choice for a baby.

In the States, Clive has never been widely used, though there are signs that more parents are starting to consider it. It has been given to more boys in the last decade than ever before, though still under one hundred a year. If you're looking for a short, no-nonsense nature name that everyone knows but hardly anyone's using, Clive could be a great option.

Famous Clives helping to shake off the colonial image include British silver fox actor Clive Owen; Narnia author Clive Staples Lewis; and most recently Clive Rosfield, the hero of Final Fantasy XVI.

# 993 in the US

Clive Rank in US Top 1000

# 625 on Nameberry

Clive Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Clive Popularity

20 Names Similar to Clive

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Famous People Named Clive

  • Clive OwenEnglish actor
  • Clive Staples "C.S." LewisNorthern Irish novelist
  • Clive William John GrangerWelsh economist and Nobel Prize winner
  • Clive Eric CusslerAmerican novelist
  • Clive BarkerEnglish novelist
  • Clive DavisAmerican record producer and executive
  • (Arthur) Clive Heward BellEnglish art critic
  • Clive Ronald Burrdrummer of English band Iron Maiden
  • Clive RushAmerican NFL football coach
  • Clive Robert Benjamin DunnEnglish actor
  • Clive James StandenEnglish actor
  • Clive John "Benji" WebbeBritish singer of bands Skindred and Dub War
  • Robert Clive1st Baron Clive aka Clive of India, British officer, founder of the East India Company
  • Clive SwiftEnglish actor & songwriter
  • Clive HornbyEnglish actor and musician

Clive in Pop Culture

  • Clive Newcombecharacter in William Thackeray's "The Newcombes"
  • Clive O'Briancharacter in the video game Resident Evil: Revelations
  • Clive Yorkincharacter on TV's "The Flash"
  • Clive Babineauxcharacter on Tv show "iZombie"
  • Clive Dovecharacter in the game "Professor Layton and the Lost Future"
  • CliveInvisible friend of Garfield the cat in some Garfield strips