Total births
40,252
Boys' name · since 1880
Clay
40,252 babies named Clay in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1960. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #544
- among boys today
- 40,252
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other boys
40,252 babies have been named Clay since 1880, making it today's #544 boys' name.
Clay has 40,252 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #544 as of the latest data, more common than 96% of boys, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #544 among boys today
- 40,252 born since 1880
- 1990s peak decade
- 96% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Clay is currently the #544 boys' name in America, more common than 96% of boys - 40,252 born since 1880, peaking in the 1990s.
- #544
- among boys today
- 40,252
- born since 1880
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other boys
Clay vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#544
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 96% of names given to boys today.
1990s
Peak decade
14% of everyone ever named Clay was born in this single decade.
1960
Single peak year
904 babies were named Clay in 1960 - its busiest year on record.
How Clay compares
40,252 Top 4% higher than 96% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Clay's all-time total is 110x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Clay | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 40,252 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 904 | 23 | 22,252 |
Clay's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Clay splits its recorded history at 1953: 84% of all births land in the more recent half, 16% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1891 (11 births) -- compare that against the 1960 peak of 904 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Clay at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1960
Current rank
#544
Active since
1880
Clay popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1960)
- 904
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Clay popularity over time - girls
273 total births recorded since 1891 (Clay as girls' name)
Clay by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Clay's strongest decade.
5,806 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 14% of all-time use.
Clay births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 245
1880s
245 births
- 1890s 292
1890s
292 births
- 1900s 323
1900s
323 births
- 1910s 1,015
1910s
1,015 births
- 1920s 1,453
1920s
1,453 births
- 1930s 1,188
1930s
1,188 births
- 1940s 1,295
1940s
1,295 births
- 1950s
1950s
4,336 births
- 1960s
1960s
5,717 births
- 1970s
1970s
4,330 births
- 1980s
1980s
4,015 births
- 1990s
1990s
5,806 births
- 2000s
2000s
4,096 births
- 2010s
2010s
3,266 births
- 2020s
2020s
2,875 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 5,806 births (14% of all-time use).
How Clay compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Clay's total volume
Clay vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Clay by state
Where Clay concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 4,377 | 10.9% |
| #2 | California | | 2,629 | 6.5% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 1,728 | 4.3% |
| #4 | Kentucky | | 1,654 | 4.1% |
| #5 | Tennessee | | 1,581 | 3.9% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 1,543 | 3.8% |
| #7 | Florida | | 1,344 | 3.3% |
| #8 | Louisiana | | 1,314 | 3.3% |
Texas share of Clay's total US births 10.9%
Even split
4,377 of 40,252 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 46 reporting states.
Clay appears in 46 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Clay? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 40,252 babies named Clay. Today it holds rank #544 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1960, with 904 births.
When was Clay most popular? ▼
Clay was most popular in the 1990s decade with 5,806 total births. The single peak year was 1960.
Where is Clay most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Clay are Texas (4,377 births), California (2,629 births), Ohio (1,728 births).
How long has the name Clay been used? ▼
Records for Clay go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Clay? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Clarence, Clayton, Claude, Clark, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Clay's data
- Clay's usage has stayed within range of its 1990s decade-level peak (5,806 total births) through the 2020s (2,875) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Clays (4,377 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Clay
Nearby Names Like Clay
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Clay
Clarence Boy
#1551 303,564 births
Clayton Boy
#318 139,344 births
Claude Boy
#3335 91,337 births
Clark Boy
#437 50,851 births
Clair Boy
12,041 births
Compare Clay side by side: Clay vs Clarence Clay vs Clayton Clay vs Claude
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Clay
Leland #543
57,999 births · Peak 2007
Enrique #545
61,234 births · Peak 2000
Drew #542
78,592 births · Peak 1985
Caiden #546
23,341 births · Peak 2008
Roy #541
408,638 births · Peak 1947
Augustine #547
16,164 births · Peak 2025
Dorian #540
24,187 births · Peak 2008
Jamir #548
9,314 births · Peak 2023
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Clay: #544 Boys' Name - 40,252 Births, Peak 1960." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/clay. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Clay draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.