# Clay (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/clay/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | English |
| Meaning | “clay” |
| Pronunciation | /kleɪ/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 40,525 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 40,252 / 273 (1% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 872, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From a Middle English occupational name for a clay worker, or a habitational name, from Old English clǣġ (“clay”).

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 | 7 | 4,570 |
| 1954 | 8 | 4,343 |
| 1955 | 5 | 5,980 |
| 1957 | 11 | 3,731 |
| 1958 | 7 | 4,984 |
| 1960 | 7 | 5,260 |
| 1966 | 5 | 6,744 |
| 1970 | 5 | 8,212 |
| 1973 | 5 | 8,664 |
| 1978 | 9 | 6,493 |
| 1980 | 6 | 9,315 |
| 1998 | 7 | 11,382 |
| 2004 | 5 | 16,674 |
| 2020 | 5 | 15,637 |
| 2024 | 5 | 15,788 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 316 | 720 |
| 2012 | 322 | 726 |
| 2013 | 321 | 729 |
| 2014 | 269 | 841 |
| 2015 | 342 | 720 |
| 2016 | 339 | 724 |
| 2017 | 355 | 694 |
| 2018 | 353 | 688 |
| 2019 | 376 | 682 |
| 2020 | 417 | 644 |
| 2021 | 451 | 617 |
| 2022 | 453 | 618 |
| 2023 | 494 | 581 |
| 2024 | 545 | 544 |
| 2025 | 515 | 573 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 29 | 958 |
| 2012 | 35 | 866 |
| 2013 | 29 | 976 |
| 2014 | 29 | 988 |
| 2015 | 44 | 740 |
| 2016 | 53 | 659 |
| 2017 | 56 | 635 |
| 2018 | 51 | 675 |
| 2019 | 62 | 597 |
| 2020 | 55 | 627 |
| 2021 | 68 | 566 |
| 2022 | 53 | 656 |
| 2023 | 41 | 791 |
| 2024 | 63 | 602 |
| 2025 | 38 | 845 |

## People named Clay

- Clay Aiken, American singer-songwriter, actor, and record producer
- Clay Shirky, American technology writer
- Henry Clay Frick, American industrialist (1849-1919)
- Clay Shaw, American businessman (1913-1974)
- Clay Higgins, American politician and reserve law enforcement officer
- Margaret Clay Ferguson, American botanist and botanical collector (1863-1951)
- Clay Guida, American mixed martial artist (born 1981)
- Clay Matthews III, American football player (born 1986)
- Clay Clement, American actor (1888–1956)
- Henry Clay Work, American composer and songwriter (1832-1884)
- Clay Walker, American singer
- Clay Wilson, American ice hockey player

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.