Given name & surname
Clayton
“from the town settled on clay”
Clayton is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the town settled on clay.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “from the town settled on clay.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Clayton through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 139,954
- 139,344 boys · 610 girls
- Most popular year
- 2000
- 2,577 babies
- 2025
- 1,130
- #300 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −16%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,130 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 300 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 15.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 2,564 in 2000. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (84). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 91,105 as a first name in 2020; 53,875 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.
Clayton’s family of names
In English usage, Clayton has a diminutive in Clay. Clayton has a related form in Clayten. Clayton has a related form in Cleyton.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Claydiminutive · English
- Claytenvariant
- Claytinvariant
- Cleytynvariant
- Cleytinvariant
- Cleytenvariant
- Cleytanvariant
- Cleytunvariant
Show 4 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Clayton
- Clayton AndersonAmerican astronaut and engineerborn 1959
- Clayton Stanleyvolleyball playerborn 1978
- Clayton InceTrinidad and Tobago footballerborn 1972
- Clayton LewisNew Zealand association football playerborn 1997
- Clayton KershawAmerican professional baseball player (born 1988)
- Clayton MooreAmerican actor (1914–1999)
- Clayton BlackmoreWelsh footballer (born 1964)
- Clayton KellerAmerican ice hockey playerborn 1998
- Clayton MurphyAmerican middle-distance runnerborn 1995
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Clayton, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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