Clay

Did you know?

A few things about Clay you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Clay

Clay Shirky

American technology writer

Choose Clay and your child shares a first name with Clay Shirky, an American technology writer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Clay, like who?” Clay Shirky's Wikipedia article is available in 22 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Clay Shirky on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Alec Perkins from Hoboken, USA, CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 3,317 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Clay, 515 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Clay would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryClay has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Clays, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 1961, when it reached #259.
• 🚀TrendClay has climbed 71 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #573. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedClay is most popular in Iowa, where it ranks #143, followed by Missouri (#238) and Kentucky (#281). It's in the top 1,000 in 30 states.
• 💬MeaningIn English, Clay means “clay, earth”.

About the name Clay

Clay is a boy name of English origin meaning “clay, earth”. It has 4 letters and 1 syllable, starting with C and ending in “-lay”. US birth records list Clay for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1961, when it ranked #259 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #573, with 515 babies.

Origin:English names