From an Old English place name meaning 'settlement on the River Glyme' or 'hilltop town.'
Clinton derives from an Old English place name — a combination of 'Glyme,' a river in Oxfordshire, and 'tun,' meaning settlement or enclosure — essentially 'settlement by the Glyme.' Carried to the American colonies as a surname, it gradually crossed over into use as a given name during the 18th and 19th centuries, propelled by the prestige of notable families. DeWitt Clinton, the New York governor who championed the Erie Canal, and George Clinton, the long-serving Vice President under both Jefferson and Madison, cemented the name's patriotic associations in the young republic.
Through the 19th and early 20th centuries, Clinton enjoyed steady popularity as a first name across the American Midwest and South, projecting a kind of civic seriousness. It carried a frontier dignity, borne by farmers, lawyers, and local politicians who wanted a name that sounded both Anglo-Saxon and aspirational. Jazz clarinetist and bandleader Larry Clinton and funk pioneer George Clinton added creative dimension to the name's legacy.
S. President, Bill Clinton, which gave the name simultaneous currency and controversy depending on political orientation. Usage has declined since the 1990s as the surname-as-first-name trend shifted toward newer choices, but Clinton retains a certain old-fashioned gravitas, the sound of a name that once stood at the center of American civic life.