Clayton
Feminine · “Farmstead on clay soil”
Clayton is given to boys far more often — 139,344 boys against 610 girls since 1880. See Clayton as a boy name
Clayton is an English place name, 'the farmstead on the clay', that has been an American boy's name since before records began. It belongs to a law that wrote a principle about human work into federal statute, and to the actor who would not take off the Lone Ranger's mask.
How old is the name Clayton?
Clayton first appears in US birth records in 1910 — 115 years ago. The typical Clayton alive today was born around 1977, making them about 48 years old. About 400 people named Clayton are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Clayton most popular?
Clayton peaked in 1926, reaching #2351 nationally. See the whole 1926 chart.
Where it comes from
From clæg tun to Clayton
The story of Clayton
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. Clayton is recorded almost entirely for boys.
Meaning
Farmstead on clay soil
From Old English clæg, 'clay', and tun, 'farmstead'.
How the name formed
- clæg tun
- Clayton
Pronouncing Clayton
KLAY-tun
Two syllables with the stress on the first.
Nicknames for Clayton
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1910
- Most girls named
- 198917 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2351reached in 1926
- Change vs 2020
- +60.0%8 in 2023, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Claytons among us
people named Clayton are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Clayton sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Instantly recognized and easy to spell.
- Comes with Clay as a ready short form.
- A long, steady American history.
- 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.
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What they receive
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Clayton
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Claytons are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 400 people named Clayton are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Clayton in 2025?
- Clayton is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Clayton with classmates?
- Clayton will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More C names
The most-given names starting with C, all years combined.
Carol#2239 · Cynthia#1013 · Catherine#313 · Christine#1272 · Carolyn#1222 · Christina#770 · Charlotte#2 · Cheryl#4352
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Clayton? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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