Clift/Cliff Surname Distribution Tables

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]
Surname/tag: Clift, Cliffe, Cliff, Clifft, Clyffe, Clyff, Clyf, Clyfe

This data has been compiled from ancestry.com census data searching for variants of Clift and Cliff. The "Cliff" variants (especially) include potentially dubious names including Cluff, Callife and Van Clief - potentially inflating those totals.

The 1860/61 to 1900/1 growth rates below compare to 84% for England and 285% for the US for those same dates respectively.

	Cliff and Clift Surname (+Variants) Distribution*							1861-1901
	1841	1851	1861	1871	1881	1891	1901	% Change
England	4,413	4,785	5,321	6,083	6,623	7,693	8,527	60%
Canada	na	na	459	458	497	561	664	45%
USA	na	1,620	2,296	3,357	4,209	na	6,264	173%
Total	na	na	8,076	9,898	11,329	na	15,455	91%
*As indexed at ancestry.com including member contributions (i.e. there is double counting)
**US Census offset by one year (i.e. 1850, 1860 etc.)

	Cliff (+Variants) as a % of Total (i.e. Cliff + Clift and variants)
	1841	1851	1861	1871	1881	1891	1901
England	70%	72%	72%	73%	74%	74%	73%
Canada			95%	96%	94%	89%	87%
USA		54%	61%	64%	65%		69%

	Cliff and Clift Surname Distribution (England)*							1861-1901
	1841	1851	1861	1871	1881	1891	1901	% Change
Yorkshire	729	865	958	1,088	1,219	1,355	1,448	51%
Lancashire	411	500	688	853	883	1,321	1,425	107%
Staffordshire	456	519	650	748	911	981	1,123	73%
London	na	na	na	na	672	723	799	na
Cheshire	383	401	512	538	576	486	561	10%
Essex	160	140	125	113	117	224	214	71%
Cornwall	234	196	200	197	178	206	209	5%
Warwickshire	115	131	124	144	162	173	195	57%
Lincolnshire	98	107	121	150	170	147	173	43%
Gloucestershire	190	170	148	137	160	166	162	9%
Nottinghamshire	123	111	111	113	118	142	158	42%
Hampshire	73	86	88	128	123	136	146	66%
Leicestershire	62	54	63	101	81	106	140	122%
Durham	34	27	52	106	109	99	125	140%
Middlesex	284	341	396	11	41	75	122	-69%
Kent	75	84	93	116	107	107	121	30%
Surrey	51	61	105	87	58	83	100	-5%
Devon	59	83	71	71	74	94	102	44%
Wilstshire	118	81	69	47	47	53	49	-29%
Suffolk	60	77	59	50	42	27	16	-73%
Other	698	751	688	1,285	775	989	1,139	66%
England	4,413	4,785	5,321	6,083	6,623	7,693	8,527	60%
*As indexed at ancestry.com including member contributions (i.e. there is double counting)
Side note: In 1841 the highest Cliff/Clift concentrations as % of county totals were (in order) Cheshire, Staffordshire, Cornwall, Nottinghamshire, Wiltshire and Essex

It is interesting to note that Cliff (as opposed to Clift) consistently dominates the northern counties and the Midlands. My own observation for Essex is that Clyff/Clyffe/Cliffe/Cliff is virtually all you see prior to the 1650's other than a stray "Cleift" of similar. By the 1700's Cliff and Clift are sometimes used almost interchangeably in the same registers - and sometimes by the same clerk. By the late 1700's, the names are treated much more consistently. My guess would be that the relatively higher predominance of Clift as you go south in England is a function of clerical practice rather than a reflection of deep surname origins.

	Cliff (+Variants) as a % of Total in England
	1841	1851	1861	1871	1881	1891	1901
Northern Counties:
Nottinghamshire	100%	97%	100%	99%	96%	95%	96%
Yorkshire	99%	99%	98%	99%	98%	97%	95%
Durham	97%	96%	96%	71%	68%	73%	68%
Cheshire	96%	99%	99%	98%	100%	99%	99%
Lancashire	96%	95%	94%	93%	93%	92%	92%
The Midlands:
Leistershire	95%	89%	87%	89%	91%	92%	77%
Lincolnshire	83%	90%	83%	65%	58%	58%	62%
Staffordshire	79%	76%	79%	73%	76%	80%	79%
Warwickshire	63%	53%	52%	65%	69%	60%	57%
Other:
Surrey	59%	51%	41%	46%	47%	53%	63%
Middlesex	56%	59%	53%	55%	63%	48%	46%
Kent	51%	44%	26%	50%	32%	38%	42%
Essex	36%	49%	26%	18%	25%	50%	49%
Cornwall	36%	49%	26%	18%	25%	50%	49%
Hampshire	36%	24%	6%	27%	28%	21%	31%
Devon	32%	27%	28%	27%	22%	39%	40%
Gloucestershire	15%	16%	22%	30%	23%	24%	26%
Wilstshire	11%	22%	4%	15%	13%	8%	4%
Suffolk	5%	10%	24%	32%	24%	22%	13%
London	na	na	na	na	63%	52%	52%
England	70%	72%	72%	73%	74%	74%	73%