Boys' name · peaked in 1960
Clay name popularity since 1925
37,800 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Clay. Half of them were born in 1983 or earlier, so the typical Clay is about 43 years old in 2026. Clay peaked in 1960 as the #265 name for boys, and it ranked #573 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 37,800
- Named Clay, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #573
- for boys in 2025 (515 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.5% boys
- 204 girls · 37,596 boys
- Most popular in
- Kentucky
- 2.50× its national share
Peak year is the year Clay made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Clay births per year, 1925–2025
1960 was the biggest year for Clay both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1953 and 1958, Clay became 2.5× more common, from 1 in 7,300 baby boys to 1 in 2,940.
- Steepest fall: Between 2002 and 2007, its share of baby boys fell by 56%, from 1 in 3,250 to 1 in 7,390.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Clay's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Clay.
Decade by decade
Babies named Clay in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 15 | 672 | – |
| 1930s | 48 | 1,188 | #548 |
| 1940s | 37 | 1,295 | #612 |
| 1950s | 45 | 4,336 | #350 |
| 1960s | 12 | 5,717 | #369 |
| 1970s | 19 | 4,330 | #365 |
| 1980s | 6 | 4,015 | #418 |
| 1990s | 7 | 5,806 | #344 |
| 2000s | 5 | 4,096 | #654 |
| 2010s | 0 | 3,266 | #720 |
| 2020–25 | 10 | 2,875 | #573 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
23.1% of babies named Clay from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Baby Boom years (1946–1964). The full split by generation:
Where Clay is most popular
The index compares Clay's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Clay.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 2.50× | 1,426 |
| Utah | 2.22× | 642 |
| Oklahoma | 2.12× | 941 |
| Louisiana | 2.06× | 1,255 |
| Tennessee | 1.98× | 1,415 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Clay and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Clay (this page) | 37,596 | 1960 |
| Klay | 1,616 | 2022 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Clay's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Clay.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Clay (1960).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data