Head to head · Boys' names
Archie vs Clayton
#301 vs #300 in 2025
Clayton is a whisker ahead (#300 vs #301 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Clayton is holding its place on the charts, Archie is back after a long quiet spell. On momentum, Archie has the edge.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Clayton leads 3 measures of 6; Archie leads 2.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Archie #88, Clayton #196 — Archie higher
- 1890s: Archie #90, Clayton #193 — Archie higher
- 1900s: Archie #108, Clayton #182 — Archie higher
- 1910s: Archie #138, Clayton #165 — Archie higher
- 1920s: Archie #162, Clayton #161 — Clayton higher
- 1930s: Archie #191, Clayton #185 — Clayton higher
- 1940s: Archie #235, Clayton #219 — Clayton higher
- 1950s: Archie #311, Clayton #235 — Clayton higher
- 1960s: Archie #418, Clayton #249 — Clayton higher
- 1970s: Archie #542, Clayton #211 — Clayton higher
- 1980s: Archie #781, Clayton #162 — Clayton higher
- 1990s: Archie #1386, Clayton #156 — Clayton higher
- 2000s: Archie #1974, Clayton #207 — Clayton higher
- 2010s: Archie #1403, Clayton #259 — Clayton higher
- 2020s: Archie #371, Clayton #297 — Clayton higher
Clayton stood higher in 11 of 15 decades; Clayton has held the lead since the 1920s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Archie | Clayton |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #88 | #196 |
| 1890s | #90 | #193 |
| 1900s | #108 | #182 |
| 1910s | #138 | #165 |
| 1920s | #162 | #161 |
| 1930s | #191 | #185 |
| 1940s | #235 | #219 |
| 1950s | #311 | #235 |
| 1960s | #418 | #249 |
| 1970s | #542 | #211 |
| 1980s | #781 | #162 |
| 1990s | #1386 | #156 |
| 2000s | #1974 | #207 |
| 2010s | #1403 | #259 |
| 2020s | #371 | #297 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
Around the world
Archie
- Scotland#8
- England & Wales#10
Clayton
Not charting outside the US.
National statistics offices, latest published year.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Archie
genuinely bold
From the Germanic ercan, meaning genuine, precious or unfeigned, and bald, bold or brave. The compound reached Britain through Norman French and became particularly Scottish — the Campbells and the Douglases both used it heavily, which is why it reads as Highland even though the elements are continental.
Ercanbald → Archibald → Archie
How it traveled
Archibald was among the standard Scottish men's names for six centuries, and Archie went with it. The short form crossed to America in the nineteenth century and was well used until about 1930, after which it went quiet for two generations.
Clayton
Farmstead on clay soil
From Old English clæg, 'clay', and tun, 'farmstead'.
clæg tun → Clayton
How it traveled
The Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914, named for Representative Henry De Lamar Clayton of Alabama, declared that 'the labor of a human being is not a commodity or article of commerce', a line labor unions hailed as their charter. Clayton Moore played the Lone Ranger on television through the 1950s and kept appearing in the mask for decades; in 1979 the owners of the character went to court to stop him, and he toured in dark wraparound sunglasses until they dropped the case and he won the right to wear it again.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Archie
AR-chee
Two syllables, stress on the first. Nothing about the spelling causes any English speaker difficulty in any country.
- Arch — The name without its ending; plain, firm, and used by friends rather than family.
- Archibald — The full name behind it; formal, Scottish, and available at any point without a legal change.
Clayton
KLAY-tun
Two syllables with the stress on the first.
- Clay — The usual short form; also a given name on its own.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Archie if you want…
- a name on the way upup 167 places on the charts in five years
- a name that charts abroad tooArchie is on the national lists of Scotland and England & Wales
Choose Clayton if you want…
- a name holding steadyClayton is holding its place on the charts
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Archie
Strengths
- It is warm and short without being childish, which few diminutives manage.
- Archibald sits behind it as a formal option with real Scottish history.
- It currently charts in three countries at once, which very few names do.
To consider
- It is rising quickly in Britain and beginning to here, so a boy will meet others of his age.
- For older Americans the name belongs to a comic-book character and a sitcom patriarch, in that order.
- Nearly every child given this spelling is a boy; the record's girls are very few.
Clayton
Strengths
- Instantly recognized and easy to spell.
- Comes with Clay as a ready short form.
- A long, steady American history.
To consider
- As a surname-first name it may be taken for a last name on forms.
- It is familiar enough that a Clayton may share the name with a classmate.
- For a girl it would be very unusual.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Archie and Clayton in full.
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Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Vintage names making a comeback
- Grandmother-chic: 1920s names ready to return
- British invasion: UK favorites still rare in the US
- Scottish gems the US hasn't discovered
- all guides
Where Archie and Clayton each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Archie or Clayton — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Archie or Clayton?
- Clayton, in 2025: Clayton ranked #300 with 1,130 babies; Archie ranked #301 with 1,129 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Archie or Clayton?
- Archie. Over the last five years Archie moved up 167 places; Clayton moved down 11 places.
- Which is the older name, Archie or Clayton?
- The US record cannot say: both were already in use when it began in 1880.
- How many people are named Archie and Clayton?
- About 23,000 people named Archie are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 105,000 people named Clayton are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Archies or Claytons in the classroom?
- Archie will almost certainly be the only one in school. Clayton will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025; international figures from national statistics agencies. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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