first name
CLAY
of 53,615 first names recorded in the 2020 Census
Of the 31,014 people named Clay, 87.5% reported their origin as White, 4.4% as Black and 3.4% as two or more races. 99.2% are male. These count how people described themselves on the 2020 Census, not where the name comes from.
What should your name go on next?
Thanks! We'll make the most-wanted one next.
Clay peaked in 1960, when 911 babies got the name.
At least 40,525 babies have been given the name since 1880. Years SSA withheld, because fewer than 5 were born, are skipped rather than drawn as zero. * 2025 is the newest year published and it undercounts: a card application is filed some time after a birth.
Clay by decade
Among all names given to American babies, its best decade was the 1960s, when it ranked #713. The largest share of babies named Clay, 21.5%, were born during the baby boom (1946–1964).
Rank counts both sexes together, among every name SSA recorded that decade; the number under it is births. The 2020s run only to 2025. Generation years follow Pew Research Center, which has not named a generation after 2012.
Where Clay is most common
Compared with all babies born in each state since 1910, Clay has been most common in Kentucky (2.7×), Utah (2.2×), and Oklahoma (2.1×), and least common in Connecticut (0.09×).
34,859 births recorded by state, 1910–2025. 2× means twice as common as nationally. States with fewer than 30 such births are left blank, and SSA withholds any year with fewer than 5 in a state, so small states read low.
Either side of Clay
Spelled almost the same
One first name in the 2020 Census spelled within a letter or two of Clay, most common first.
Also a last name
As a last name, Clay ranks #710 of 156,621, with 47,234 people. See Clay as a last name
Compare
🔎 CLAY 🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦⬜⬜⬜ 1 in 9,739 Americans Rarer than 72.9% of us Peaked in 1960 with 911 babies Beat that 👇 https://howrareismy.name/first/clay/