boy's name
Clay
KLAY
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 42,319
the United States
#573
2025 births
Clay means the earth a potter works, and it carries a creation story in almost every tradition — Genesis forms Adam from the ground, and Mesopotamian and Egyptian accounts do the same with clay.
- Clay is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1960, when 911 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1960s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 6,438 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Clay over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 245 |
| 1890s | 298 |
| 1900s | 323 |
| 1910s | 1,038 |
| 1920s | 1,508 |
| 1930s | 1,236 |
| 1940s | 1,332 |
| 1950s | 4,381 |
| 1960s | 5,729 |
| 1970s | 4,349 |
| 1980s | 4,021 |
| 1990s | 5,813 |
| 2000s | 4,101 |
| 2010s | 3,266 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,885 |
What Clay means
Clay means the heavy, sticky earth used for pottery. It names the material or a place where it was dug, so the sense is ground rather than a personal quality.
Where Clay comes from
Clay is the Old English clæg, the dense earth used for pots and bricks, from a root meaning to stick or cling — the same root behind clam and cling. It became a surname for someone living on clay soil. Forming a human from clay is one of the most widespread creation motifs there is: Genesis has Adam made from the ground, the Egyptian Khnum shapes people on a potter's wheel, and the Mesopotamian accounts use clay too.
Clay in use
Clay peaked in the United States in 1960, when 911 babies were registered, and our data marks it reviving. It now ranks 552nd in Scotland on 5 births, 573rd in the United States on 515, 610th in Ireland on 5 and 848th in England and Wales on 38, across 42,319 lifetime births in five of the seven markets we track. England and Wales ran its own peak of 68 births in 2021.
How popular is Clay?
In 2025, Clay was given to 515 babies in the United States, ranking #573 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Clay is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Clay
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Clay also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Clay over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Clay in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Clay
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Clay — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Clay
What does the name Clay mean?
The earth a potter works — the Old English clæg.
Is cling related?
Yes, through a root meaning to stick — as is clam.
Why do so many myths use clay?
Forming a human from clay is one of the most widespread creation motifs there is.
Is Clay coming back?
Our data marks it reviving, at 573rd in the United States.
How popular is the name Clay?
In 2025, Clay was given to 515 babies in the United States, ranking #573 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Clay a girl's or a boy's name?
Clay is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Clay?
Clay has 1 syllable.
When was Clay most popular?
Clay peaked in 1960, when 911 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1960s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
Is Clay a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Clay currently ranks #552 in the United States. After peaking in the 1960s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.