How common is the surname Clay?

48,844 people in the United States had the surname Clay in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 6,321 Americans. It ranked 708th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Clay?

Henry Clay, American politician from Kentucky (1777-1852), followed by Bryan Clay.

Where is the surname Clay most common?

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

Is the surname Clay getting more or less common?

More common. 46,264 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 48,844 in 2010, up 5.6%.

Is Clay also a first name?

Yes. Clay is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Clay

An English occupational surname, carried by 48,844 people in the United States.

Pronounced /kleɪ/ 1 syllable Soundex C400 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Clay is more common than 99.6% of them.

Origin

English origin

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

Clay is an occupational surname: named after the work an ancestor did.

One of 1,446 English surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 48,844 people named Clay in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 6,321 Americans. That is up 5.6% since 2000, when the Census counted 46,264.

#708

rank among US surnames

48,844

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+5.6%

change since 2000 (was #677)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#699	Golden	49,360	6,255
#700	Ware	49,316	6,261
#701	Brennan	49,238	6,270
#702	McDowell	49,217	6,273
#703	Marks	49,177	6,278
#704	Cantu	49,126	6,285
#705	Humphrey	49,056	6,294

Who is named Clay

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

53% of people named Clay identified as white (not Hispanic), 41% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.9% as two or more races.

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

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Clays

14 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Henry Clay
American politician from Kentucky (1777-1852)
Bryan Clay
American decathlete, born 1980
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, born 1995

Notable Clays come mostly from the United States (12), the United Kingdom (1) and Australia (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Clay

Clay has the Soundex code C400, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code C400.

Other English surnames

All 1,446 English surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Clay come from?: From a Middle English occupational name for a clay worker, or a habitational name, from Old English clǣġ (“clay”).
How common is the surname Clay?: 48,844 people in the United States had the surname Clay in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 6,321 Americans. It ranked 708th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Clay?: In the 2010 Census, 53% of people named Clay identified as white (not Hispanic), and 41% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Clay?: Henry Clay, American politician from Kentucky (1777-1852), followed by Bryan Clay.
Where is the surname Clay most common?: Wikidata records people named Clay in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.
How do you pronounce Clay?: Clay is /kleɪ/, one syllable.
What type of surname is Clay?: Clay is an occupational surname, named after the work an ancestor did.
Is the surname Clay getting more or less common?: More common. 46,264 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 48,844 in 2010, up 5.6%.
Is Clay also a first name?: Yes. Clay is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.