The baby name Clive blends 18th century history with a sharp sound.
Thanks to Alicia for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME CLIVE MEAN?
The baby name Clive claims English origins. It’s a riff on cliff.
So the name’s literal meaning? A surname for someone living near a cliffside.
CLIVE OF INDIA
In the eighteenth century, Robert Clive was a British clerk turned soldier. He set sail for India in 1744 as part of the East India Company.
Clive rose through the ranks. By the time he died in 1774, he was known as Major General Clive, 1st Baron Clive – or simply Clive of India.
His efforts helped define and secure British India.
British families with a connection to the colony occasionally bestowed Clive as a given name for their sons, just as they sometimes called their daughters India.
By 21st century standards, that’s problematic. A number of places named in his memory have been re-named. But through the early 20th century, Clive of India remained a fixture in popular culture, his stories re-told in writing, as well as on the stage and screen.
LITERARY NAME
The first name Clive picked up steam after author William Makepeace Thackery used the name Clive for the son in his multi-generational masterpiece The Newcomes.
Published as a serial from 1854 to 1855, Thackery’s work was widely read.
Another famous Clive with literary cred? Clive Bell, art critic and author. A member of the Bloomsbury Group, he kept company with Virginia Woolf and EM Forster in the early 1900s. The name refers to the London neighborhood they called home.
Perhaps the most famous Clive? Clive Staples Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia. But the world knows him by the initials CS, and to his friends and family he answered to the childhood nickname Jack.
FAMOUS FIGURES
In more recent decades, famous Clives have included:
- British writer and filmmaker Clive Barker created horror favorites like Hellraiser and Candyman
- Adventurer-turned-novelist Clive Cussler drew on his real life experience to write larger-than-life characters like Dirk Pitt of Sahara
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Clive Davis, known for his work with artists from Aretha Franklin to Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen to
- English actor Clive Owen has won a BAFTA and a Golden Globe for his work throughout the 2000s
There are more men by the name.
Overall, it reads rather British and maybe slightly old school – but neither of those things are disqualifying in our age of Oliver and Julian.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME CLIVE?
The baby name Clive has never enjoyed significant popularity in the United States.
It dipped into the US Top 1000 just a few times, the most recent in 1935. That’s almost certainly thanks to a big Hollywood movie released that year titled Clive of India, about the historical figure. It starred Ronald Colman, who back in the day was a major leading man.
In the year 2000, just 19 boys were named Clive. As of 2024, that number increased to 73. It’s a significant gain – but still a relatively small number.
One reason for the name’s increase in use? Trends favor middle V names. Think Oliver and Everett, Levi and River. Plus short, strong names like Jude, Kai, and Beau remain favorites. Clive could fit right in.
SHARP STANDOUT
Instead, though, the baby name Clive stands out. It’s British-adjacent, with a nod to the natural world and a stylish sound.
It’s a brother for Cedric or Lloyd, a name to consider if you’re crushed that Jasper and Felix are taken.
What do you think of the baby name Clive?
First published September 23, 2009, this post was revised on February 7, 2026.
No one mentioned Clive Davis! An American icon, IMO one of the most influential people in American music, He has started several record companies and launched some of the most successful singers and bands EVER.
Being a British expat looking for a British name, I probably should have used Clive. I didn’t really consider it, but it’s a decent choice. Maybe as a middle name.
Nigel is another British sounding name – I’m not familiar with Rigel though. Another one is Trevor – which says “unfashionable middle age British man” to me, so I find it slightly funny when I hear Moms calling “Trevor!!!” at the library.
This is interesting. I know that Clive is English in origins but I have never thought of it as a “British Name.” I think if your native language is English, any name is game to use for an English speaker. That said, there are very few names that I think “He must be from England” and that is Nigel and Rigel. I can’t even think of any female names that give me that impression.
Clive is nice! To me it is so British that I’d feel a bit silly using it with no British connections. But I do love the sound and look of it. Instead I’d use the similar Clyde – so handsome!
(as I was saying before I accidentally posted)…so Clive Pearse from HGTV is my main association with the name. It is definitely one I would recommend to fans of 1-syllable names. I like its sharp, clear sound.
I forgot about Clive Pearse! And my mother is addicted to Design to Sell, so how could I?
I like Clive. I’m not up on my British history, have never been to England, have only met a few Brits IRL, and I’d rather watch TV shows than movies – so Clive Pearse from HGTV
So weird that Clive is the name of the day! Because I met TWO Clives yesterday. Doodoo doodoo doodoo doodoo…
I like my “eldery chic” names but not this and I’m a bit of a fan of one syllable names normally. I just get this image of a doddery old man with an epic comb over rambling on about his new hot water cylinder or furry slippers.
I can see it becoming fashionable again.
Clive Pearse, host on HGTV, is who I first think of. Not exactly the most enticing advertisement for the name… Clive Owen definitely is a better association, but not my initial one, sadly. That said, I don’t think either one really makes me love the name. It sounds like a British grandpa to me (probably b/c I know someone who is grandpa age in England named Clive, but he did provide me with driving “lessons” that got me to pass the Brit road test first time through when I lived there!… the road test in England is harder than the one in the States). In any case, I don’t dislike the name, but it’s not one I’d use.
I like Clive quite a bit. I like the other one-syllable CL names for boys too: Clyde and Claude are two other old favorites. I’d never use him, but I think he would be a nice choice for someone else. He would also make a great middle name.