Clay

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Clay

Gender: Masculine
Language: English
Etymology:
Clay is comes from an English surname meaning “place of clay” from “claeg.” It would refer to one who lived by a clay pit, or to one who worked in a clay pit.

It can also be short for the name Clayton, meaning “Clay Town.”

History:
Clay is another example of a surname transferred in the 19th century for use as a first name.

Originally, it would have been bestowed upon sons (very occasionally daughters) as either a first or a middle name in order to honor the Clay surname. For example, a woman named Mary Clay who married a man named John Smith, may name her son John Clay Smith, or merely Clay Smith.

Additional early use was inspired by famous Kentuckian politician and orator Henry Clay (1777-1852), as the name Clay was initially most common in the South, and especially in Kentucky, and especially from the 1830s to the 1850s, towards the end of his career.

Pronunciation: clay.

Famous Bearers:
Singers and Entertainers:
Clay Aiken (Clayton Holmes Grissom) (1978-)
American singer.

Popularity:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census:
0.021 % of males forenamed Clay
0.023 % of surnamed Clay

Popularity of Clay:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1850: 275th most popular.
1875: 326th most popular.
1880: 403rd most popular.
1881: 332nd most popular.
1882: 437th most popular.
1883: 331st most popular.
1884: 306th most popular.
1885: 422nd most popular.
1886: 321st most popular.
1887: 340th most popular.
1888: 324th most popular.
1889: 322nd most popular.
1890: 302nd most popular.
1891: 564th most popular.
1892: 394th most popular.
1893: 300th most popular.
1894: 271st most popular.
1895: 316th most popular.
1896: 352nd most popular.
1897: 375th most popular.
1898: 289th most popular.
1899: 384th most popular.
1900: 340th most popular.
1901: 407th most popular.
1902: 337th most popular.
1903: 370th most popular.
1904: 354th most popular.
1905: 355th most popular.
1906: 346th most popular.
1907: 406th most popular.
1908: 413th most popular.
1909: 418th most popular.
1910: 536th most popular.
1911: 394th most popular.
1912: 455th most popular.
1913: 458th most popular.
1914: 466th most popular.
1915: 486th most popular.
1916: 496th most popular.
1917: 511th most popular.
1918: 495th most popular.
1919: 521st most popular.
1920: 493rd most popular.
1921: 496th most popular.
1922: 443rd most popular.
1923: 520th most popular.
1924: 507th most popular.
1925: 507th most popular.
1926: 533rd most popular.
1927: 485th most popular.
1928: 521st most popular.
1929: 569th most popular.
1930: 525th most popular.
1931: 539th most popular.
1932: 517th most popular.
1933: 529th most popular.
1934: 550th most popular.
1935: 549th most popular.
1936: 509th most popular.
1937: 532nd most popular.
1938: 546th most popular.
1939: 515th most popular.
1940: 511th most popular.
1941: 575th most popular.
1942: 549th most popular.
1943: 566th most popular.
1944: 586th most popular.
1945: 616th most popular.
1946: 610th most popular.
1947: 556th most popular.
1948: 505th most popular.
1949: 494th most popular.
1950: 497th most popular.
1951: 448th most popular.
1952: 426th most popular.
1953: 428th most popular.
1954: 388th most popular.
1955: 349th most popular.
1956: 340th most popular.
1957: 314th most popular.
1958: 284th most popular.
1959: 275th most popular.
1960: 266th most popular.
1961: 261st most popular.
1962: 287th most popular.
1963: 304th most popular.
1964: 329th most popular.
1965: 369th most popular.
1966: 395th most popular.
1967: 402nd most popular.
1968: 393rd most popular.
1969: 379th most popular.
1970: 378th most popular.
1971: 353rd most popular.
1972: 374th most popular.
1973: 355th most popular.
1974: 373rd most popular.
1975: 364th most popular.
1976: 368th most popular.
1977: 378th most popular.
1978: 401st most popular.
1979: 429th most popular.
1980: 444th most popular.
1981: 455th most popular.
1982: 457th most popular.
1983: 426th most popular.
1984: 426th most popular.
1985: 416th most popular.
1986: 426th most popular.
1987: 402nd most popular.
1988: 408th most popular.
1989: 443rd most popular.
1990: 457th most popular.
1991: 474th most popular.
1992: 495th most popular.
1993: 457th most popular.
1994: 367th most popular.
1995: 357th most popular.
1996: 377th most popular.
1997: 390th most popular.
1998: 396th most popular.
1999: 403rd most popular.
2000: 402nd most popular.
2001: 530th most popular.
2002: 425th most popular.
2003: 487th most popular.
2004: 585th most popular.

Selected Sources:
A Dictionary of English Surnames by Reaney and Wilson, 1997
A Dictionary of First Names, Hanks and Hodges, 1990

The Social Security Administration Actuarial Note 139 - For popularity stats 1880-Present
The 1880 U.S. Census- For popularity stats 1850-1880