Located in Clichy are the headquarters of the L'Oréal Group, the world's largest company in cosmetics and beauty; Bic, one of the biggest pen producers in the world; Monoprix, a major French retail chain; as well as Sony France, a large electronics and media company.

The name Clichy was recorded for the first time in the 6th century as Clippiacum, later corrupted into Clichiacum, meaning "estate of Cleppius", a Gallo-Roman landowner.

In the 13th century, the plain of Clichy was used as a garenne ("warren" in English), i.e. a hunting park and game preserve for the exclusive use of the king or a lord.

Between 1793 and 1795, during the French Revolution, Clichy-la-Garenne was renamed Clichy-la-Patriote (meaning "Clichy the Patriot"), perhaps because the word garenne reminded people of the feudal privileges that the new government abolished in 1789.

Its church was built in the 17th century under the direction of St Vincent de Paul, who had previously been curé of Clichy.

The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Clichy proper, in its geography at the given years.