Clive

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.

Clive Rank in US Top 1000

# 993 in the US

Clive Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 435 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Clive

• 435 Nameberry 2025
• 861 Unique 2018

20 Names Similar to Clive

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Clive.

• Fitzgerald
• Morris
• Hal
• Fritz
• Murray
• Wendell
• Seymour
• Sampson
• Rudy
• Fergus
• Laurie
• Truman
• Elmer
• Wallace
• Lars
• Irving
• Clancy
• Nigel
• Elton
• Sidney

Famous People Named Clive

• Clive Owen English actor
• Clive Staples "C.S." Lewis Northern Irish novelist
• Clive William John Granger Welsh economist and Nobel Prize winner
• Clive Eric Cussler American novelist
• Clive Barker English novelist
• Clive Davis American record producer and executive
• (Arthur) Clive Heward Bell English art critic
• Clive Ronald Burr drummer of English band Iron Maiden
• Clive Rush American NFL football coach
• Clive Robert Benjamin Dunn English actor
• Clive James Standen English actor
• Clive John "Benji" Webbe British singer of bands Skindred and Dub War
• Robert Clive 1st Baron Clive aka Clive of India, British officer, founder of the East India Company
• Clive Swift English actor & songwriter
• Clive Hornby English actor and musician

The name Clive in Pop Culture

• Clive Newcombe character in William Thackeray's "The Newcombes"
• Clive O'Brian character in the video game Resident Evil: Revelations
• Clive Yorkin character on TV's "The Flash"
• Clive Babineaux character on Tv show "iZombie"
• Clive Dove character in the game "Professor Layton and the Lost Future"
• Clive Invisible friend of Garfield the cat in some Garfield strips