Clay
Clay was the 573rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 515 babies. Its best year was 1961, when it ranked 259th; the most babies were born in 1960 (904). Over the last ten years it has moved up 147 places. More babies were named Clay in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning clay; clay worker (surname) · English, Old English
Say it KLAY /kleɪ/
- Rank in 2025
- #573 boys, up 71 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 515boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1960904 babies
- Total since 1880
- 40,525babies recorded
What does the name Clay mean?
Clay is an English surname from Middle English clei and Old English clǣg, clay. Wiktionary says it was either an occupational name for someone who worked clay or a name for someone who lived on clay soil. Wiktionary also lists Clay as a short form of Clayton. The American Heritage Dictionary confirms the Old English word clǣg behind clay. As a boys' name it has been used in the US since the 19th century.
clǣg (Old English, “clay”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Clayton, Clayborne.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Clay' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th ed., entry 'clay' (etymology), HarperCollins / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Clay popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 273 since 1891.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #573 | 515 |
| 2020 | #644 | 417 |
| 2010 | #794 | 273 |
| 2000 | #396 | 641 |
| 1990 | #445 | 494 |
| 1980 | #443 | 350 |
| 1970 | #379 | 456 |
| 1960 | #265 | 904 |
| 1950 | #497 | 180 |
| 1940 | #510 | 128 |
| 1930 | #524 | 131 |
| 1920 | #498 | 147 |
| 1910 | #540 | 28 |
| 1900 | #337 | 41 |
| 1890 | #303 | 32 |
| 1880 | #406 | 18 |
How popular is Clay, counting every spelling?
Clay is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #502 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #573 for Clay on its own. Together these spellings went to 599 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay | 515 | #573 | 2,458 |
| Klay | 84 | #1,882 | 426 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Clay?
515 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Clay (0.14 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Clay born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 16 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Clay.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Clay?
About 31,600 people born in the US named Clay are alive today, with a median age of 37; half are between 23 and 57. That makes Clay mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Clay by state
How common Clay was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Iowa (4.2×), West Virginia (3.0×), Kentucky (2.6×), Idaho (2.6×), Utah (2.5×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Clay: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Clay, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Clay · Sibling names for Clay
Clay is also a nickname for Clayton.
Questions about the name Clay
What does Clay mean?
Clay means “clay; clay worker (surname)” (English, Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Clay?
Clay was the 573rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 515 babies. Its best year was 1961, when it ranked 259th; the most babies were born in 1960 (904). Over the last ten years it has moved up 147 places. More babies were named Clay in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Clay a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Clay in the US.
Where is Clay most popular?
In 2021–2025, Clay was most common in Iowa (1.20 per 1,000 boys), followed by Montana and West Virginia.