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Clay

“Clay soil or earth” — Old English origin

Boy's name · #573 in the US (2025) · 90s

Clay has appeared in US records since 1880 — best rank #259 (1961) · 40,252 babies named Clay all-time · 1 in 3,300 boys born in 2025.

Around the world: about 1 in 3,900 boys in Scotland (2025) · about 1 in 4,700 boys in Canada (2024) · about 1 in 4,700 boys in Ireland (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 37 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Clays

• Clay Aiken — American singer-songwriter, actor, and record producer
• Clay Regazzoni — Swiss racecar driver
• Clay Shirky — American technology writer
• Clay Shaw — American businessman (1913-1974)
• Clay Higgins — American politician and reserve law enforcement officer

In stories & tradition

• Clay Jensen — Thirteen Reasons Why · 13 Reasons Why
• Clay Morrow — Sons of Anarchy
• Clay Quartermain — Earth-616

What Clays become

Among 295 notable people named Clay:

Athletes appear 1.89× more often than among typical names — e.g. Clay Guida, American mixed martial artist (born 1981).

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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