Given name & surname
Clay
“of the earth's clay”
Clay is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “of the earth's clay.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “of the earth's clay.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
In English usage, Clay is a diminutive of Clayton.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Clay is a diminutive of Clayton. The history of Clayton gives this family its wider story. Clayton’s naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Clay through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 40,525
- 40,252 boys · 273 girls
- Most popular year
- 1960
- 911 babies
- 2025
- 515
- #573 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +34%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 515 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 573 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 33.6% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 904 in 1960. In 2025, California and Texas shared the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (36 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 31,014 as a first name in 2020; 47,234 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Clay’s family of names
In English usage, Clay is a diminutive of Clayton. Clay is a form of Clayton.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Clay
- Clay AikenAmerican singer-songwriter, actor, and record producerborn 1978
- DreamAmerican YouTuber, streamer and singer (born 1999)
- Clay ShirkyAmerican technology writerborn 1964
- Clay ShawAmerican businessman (1913-1974)
- Clay HigginsAmerican politician and reserve law enforcement officerborn 1961
- Clay GuidaAmerican mixed martial artist (born 1981)
- Clay AllisonTexas cattle rancher and gunfighter (1840-1887)
- Clay JohnsonAmerican basketball playerborn 1956
- Clay WalkerAmerican singerborn 1969
Characters named Clay: Clay Jensen (the novel Thirteen Reasons Why and its television adaptation).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Clay, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Cliff
“from the town near the cliff” · “from the ford near the cliff”
>99% boys
Lee
“from the meadow”
94% boys · 6% girls
Nelson
“the son of Neil; the son of a champion”
99% boys · 1% girls
Kelvin
“a friend of ships; a man of the river”
>99% boys
Nick
“of the victorious people”
>99% boys
Ladd
“a servant; a young man”
>99% boys
Stanley
“from the stony meadow”
>99% boys
Tony
“a flourishing man; from an ancient Roman family”
>99% boys