Clayton
Clayton was the 300th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,130 babies. Its best year was 1988, when it ranked 147th; the most babies were born in 2000 (2,564). Over the last ten years it has moved down 52 places. More babies were named Clayton in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning clay settlement · Old English
Say it KLAY-tun /ˈkleɪtən/
- Rank in 2025
- #300 boys, down 11 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,130boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20002,564 babies
- Total since 1880
- 139,954babies recorded
What does the name Clayton mean?
Clayton is an English place name, found in many counties, from Old English clǣg, "clay", and tūn, "enclosure, farmstead, settlement": a farm or village on clay soil. Bardsley notes how common the place name is in England, which explains why the surname is widespread. It has been used as a first name since the 19th century.
clǣg (Old English, “clay”)tūn (Old English, “enclosure, settlement”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Clay, Clayten.
See also: English names, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Clayton', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (1901), s.v. 'Clayton', Henry Frowde (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
Nicknames for Clayton
The usual nicknames for Clayton are Clay. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Clayton in the last five years, 43 were named Clay, against 23 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay | Traditional | #573 | 2,458 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Claytons go by each one.
Clayton popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 610 since 1910.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #300 | 1,130 |
| 2020 | #289 | 1,172 |
| 2010 | #251 | 1,361 |
| 2000 | #151 | 2,564 |
| 1990 | #153 | 2,029 |
| 1980 | #194 | 1,275 |
| 1970 | #264 | 834 |
| 1960 | #222 | 1,245 |
| 1950 | #241 | 754 |
| 1940 | #212 | 603 |
| 1930 | #178 | 802 |
| 1920 | #153 | 961 |
| 1910 | #178 | 159 |
| 1900 | #176 | 118 |
| 1890 | #176 | 77 |
| 1880 | #201 | 60 |
How popular is Clayton, counting every spelling?
Clayton is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #290 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #300 for Clayton on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,235 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clayton | 1,130 | #300 | 5,717 |
| Klayton | 89 | #1,800 | 461 |
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 Clayton?
1,130 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Clayton (0.31 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Clayton 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 7 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Clayton.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Clayton?
About 103,300 people born in the US named Clayton are alive today, with a median age of 32; half are between 20 and 48. That makes Clayton 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.
Clayton by state
How common Clayton was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in West Virginia (3.7×), Maine (3.1×), Idaho (3.1×), South Dakota (2.9×), Montana (2.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, New Mexico, Connecticut.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Clayton: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Clayton, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Clayton · Sibling names for Clayton
Questions about the name Clayton
What does Clayton mean?
Clayton means “clay settlement” (Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Clayton?
Clayton was the 300th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,130 babies. Its best year was 1988, when it ranked 147th; the most babies were born in 2000 (2,564). Over the last ten years it has moved down 52 places. More babies were named Clayton in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Clayton a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Clayton in the US.
Where is Clayton most popular?
In 2021–2025, Clayton was most common in West Virginia (2.42 per 1,000 boys), followed by Maine and Idaho.