Clayton
Masculine · “Farmstead on clay soil”
Clayton is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 139,344 boys against 610 girls since 1880. See Clayton as a girl 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 was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Clayton alive today was born around 1987, making them about 38 years old. About 105,000 people named Clayton are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Clayton most popular?
Clayton peaked in 1988, reaching #147 nationally. Today it ranks #300, 153 places below that high. See the whole 1988 chart.
Clayton appears on these lists:
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
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 19952,361 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #147reached in 1988
- Change vs 2022
- −5.8%1,130 in 2025, from 1,200
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.
Clayton in other languages
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Florida.
Claytons among us
people named Clayton are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 1,512 born in 2025 was named Clayton
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Lowell test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Clayton's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Lowell climbed just as high around 1931, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Lowell's path sketches the road Clayton is walking now.
Clayton peaked long ago yet still holds steady — names that survive their own wave usually settle into quiet, durable classics.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Clayton is headed
Clayton should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Clayton beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Clayton in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
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.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Clayton to the vote.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Clayton
Masculine · #300 in the U.S.
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 105,000 people named Clayton are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Clayton in 2025?
- Clayton ranks #300 among US boy names in 2025, with 1,130 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Clayton?
- About 1 in every 1,512 US boys born in 2025 was named Clayton — 1,130 in all.
- Will my child share the name Clayton with classmates?
- Clayton will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Clayton
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Archie#301 · Romeo#301 · Preston#299 · Sonny#298 · Holden#297 · Gavin#303 · Angelo#304 · Kohen#295
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Clayton? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Clayton and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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