Clay

Boy name

Clay has been given to 40,525 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1960 and currently ranks #573 for boys (2025).

Meaning & origin /kleɪ/

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

Origin: surnames

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

40,525

Peak year

1960 (911 babies)

Rank in 2025

#573 for boys

First recorded

1880

10-year trend

▲ +51%

Gender split

1% girls / 99% boys

Famous people named Clay

Clay Aiken

American singer-songwriter, actor, and record producer

JJ Redick

American basketball player and coach

Dream

American YouTuber, streamer and singer (born 1999)

Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).

Names with a similar vibe

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Clay.

Peteboy

43,700 babies since 1880

Greggboy

36,624 babies since 1881

Ronboy

36,432 babies since 1919

Martyboy

36,269 babies since 1896

Terenceboy

34,460 babies since 1885

Mickeyboy

34,173 babies since 1898

Garryboy

47,849 babies since 1880

Kenboy

33,043 babies since 1900

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