Where does “Clifford” come from?
Clifford derives from Old English clif combined with ford, where clif comes from Proto-Germanic klibą and ford from Proto-Germanic furduz, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European pértus and the root per-.
Ancestry of “Clifford”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | ford | ford |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | furdu | ford |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | furduz | ford |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | pértus | crossing |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
Words derived from “Clifford”