boy's name
Clayton
KLAY-ten
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 146,791
the United States
#300
2025 births
Clayton means the settlement on clay, from an English place name that describes the ground it stood on. Our data marks it stable, and it charts in six of the seven markets we track.
- Clayton is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2000, when 2,577 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,934 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Clayton 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 | 653 |
| 1890s | 752 |
| 1900s | 1,057 |
| 1910s | 5,683 |
| 1920s | 9,498 |
| 1930s | 7,225 |
| 1940s | 7,080 |
| 1950s | 9,345 |
| 1960s | 9,334 |
| 1970s | 10,809 |
| 1980s | 17,041 |
| 1990s | 21,864 |
| 2000s | 18,735 |
| 2010s | 13,971 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 6,907 |
What Clayton means
Clayton means the settlement on clay, or the clay town. The Old English joins the word for clay to tun, an enclosure or settlement, so the name is a description of soil.
Where Clayton comes from
Clayton is an English place name from clæg, clay, joined to tun — an enclosure, farmstead or settlement, and the ancestor of the modern town. There are Claytons across Yorkshire, Lancashire and Sussex, all named for heavy clay ground, which mattered because clay soil is hard to plow and holds water. The tun element is one of the most common in English place naming and gives the -ton in thousands of names. Clayton became a surname and then an American given name in the nineteenth century.
Clayton in use
Clayton peaked in the United States in 2000, when 2,577 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now ranks 300th in the United States on 1,130 births, 453rd in Northern Ireland, 568th in Scotland on 5, 704th in England and Wales on 50 and 1625th in France on 20, across 146,791 lifetime births in six of the seven markets we track.
How popular is Clayton?
In 2025, Clayton was given to 1,130 babies in the United States, ranking #300 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Clayton 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 Clayton
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Clayton also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Clayton over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Clayton
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Clayton 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 Clayton
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Clayton — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Clayton
What does the name Clayton mean?
The settlement on clay — the Old English clæg joined to tun, an enclosure.
What does -ton mean in place names?
An enclosure, farmstead or settlement. It is the ancestor of the modern word town and appears in thousands of names.
Is Clay short for Clayton?
It is used that way, and is also a name in its own right.
How popular is Clayton?
300th in the United States, and our data marks it stable.
Is Clayton a girl's or a boy's name?
Clayton is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Clayton?
Clayton has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Clayton?
Clayton is usually shortened to Clay.
Is Clayton a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Clayton currently ranks #300 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.