# Clay (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/clay/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname originating as an occupation.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | occupational, named after the work an ancestor did |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 48,844 |
| US rank (2010) | 708 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 6,321 people |
| Change since 2000 | +5.6% (46,264 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /kleɪ/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

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

## Who carries it

Share of people named Clay in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 53% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 41% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.9% |
| Two or more races | 2.9% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Clay in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

## People named Clay

- Henry Clay, American politician from Kentucky (1777-1852)
- Bryan Clay, American decathlete
- Andrew Dice Clay, American comedian and actor (born 1957)
- Cassius M. Clay, American planter, politician and ambassador to Russia (1810-1903)
- Clement Comer Clay, American politician (1789-1866)
- Otis Clay, American R&B and soul singer (1942–2016)
- Nicholas Clay, British actor (1946-2000)
- Bill Clay, American politician (1931–2025)
- Clement Claiborne Clay, American lawyer, judge and politician (1816-1882)
- Alexander S. Clay, American politician (1853-1910)
- Judy Clay, American soul and gospel singer (1938–2001)
- Elizabeth Clay, Australian athlete

and 2 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Cawley, Cauley, Caley, Cola, Cal, Celaya, Cole, Cooley, Cahill, Coyle, Calloway, Coley.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.