Name Trends

See the popularity of first names over time in the USA

How popular is “Clay” in the USA?

Number of people named “Clay” by birth year

This chart shows how many people named “Clay” were born each year.

Due to changes to population growth and data collection rates over time, this isn't a good chart for understanding popularity.

Popularity of “Clay” by birth year

This chart shows how the popularity of “Clay” has changed over time.

Popularity is the number of people named “Clay” born in that year divided by the total number of births for that year.

Bias in sex for “Clay” by birth year

This chart shows how “Clay” has been used as gendered name over time. The scale ranges from 1 (only females) to -1 (only males).

Sex is a required field in SSA's Social Security Card applications (only 2 options). Most applications are filed around a person's time of birth.

The raw data

This table shows the data used in the above charts.

Year Count Proportion Females Males Bias toward female
1880 18 0.000089337 18 -100%
1881 24 0.000124554 24 -100%
1882 17 0.000076738 17 -100%
1883 25 0.000115236 25 -100%
1884 32 0.000131438 32 -100%
1885 18 0.000074734 18 -100%
1886 28 0.000109668 28 -100%
1887 23 0.00009297 23 -100%
1888 31 0.000103515 31 -100%
1889 29 0.000100365 29 -100%
1890 32 0.000106171 32 -100%
1891 17 0.000059301 6 11 -29%
1892 23 0.000068785 23 -100%
1893 33 0.000101469 33 -100%
1894 42 0.000124007 42 -100%
1895 33 0.000094012 33 -100%
1896 30 0.00008392 30 -100%
1897 25 0.000072055 25 -100%
1898 40 0.000104862 40 -100%
1899 23 0.0000678 23 -100%
1900 41 0.000091059 41 -100%
1901 21 0.000060727 21 -100%
1902 33 0.00008533 33 -100%
1903 27 0.000070829 27 -100%
1904 32 0.000079309 32 -100%
1905 34 0.000080203 34 -100%
1906 36 0.000084024 36 -100%
1907 31 0.000066611 31 -100%
1908 33 0.000067533 33 -100%
1909 35 0.000068463 35 -100%
1910 28 0.000047401 28 -100%
1911 52 0.000080711 52 -100%
1912 80 0.000080967 5 75 -88%
1913 89 0.000078269 89 -100%
1914 107 0.000075547 107 -100%
1915 139 0.000075856 7 132 -90%
1916 138 0.000071339 5 133 -93%
1917 131 0.00006528 6 125 -91%
1918 146 0.000067247 146 -100%
1919 128 0.000060656 128 -100%
1920 157 0.000069388 10 147 -87%
1921 167 0.000071536 7 160 -92%
1922 194 0.000084747 5 189 -95%
1923 146 0.00006341 12 134 -84%
1924 157 0.000065922 6 151 -92%
1925 144 0.000061715 144 -100%
1926 137 0.000059671 6 131 -91%
1927 164 0.000070709 9 155 -89%
1928 135 0.00005971 135 -100%
1929 107 0.00004881 107 -100%
1930 138 0.00006207 7 131 -90%
1931 117 0.000055598 117 -100%
1932 123 0.000058258 123 -100%
1933 123 0.000061517 9 114 -85%
1934 117 0.000056336 117 -100%
1935 110 0.000052634 110 -100%
1936 131 0.000063054 7 124 -89%
1937 123 0.000057728 6 117 -90%
1938 124 0.000056043 11 113 -82%
1939 130 0.000058999 8 122 -88%
1940 128 0.000055587 128 -100%
1941 112 0.000045969 6 106 -89%
1942 137 0.00005015 14 123 -80%
1943 136 0.000048183 11 125 -84%
1944 116 0.000043121 6 110 -90%
1945 97 0.000036564 97 -100%
1946 114 0.000035677 114 -100%
1947 145 0.000040252 145 -100%
1948 171 0.000049529 171 -100%
1949 176 0.000050505 176 -100%
1950 187 0.000053377 7 180 -93%
1951 225 0.000061079 225 -100%
1952 274 0.000072143 7 267 -95%
1953 270 0.000070064 270 -100%
1954 348 0.000087422 8 340 -95%
1955 431 0.000107345 5 426 -98%
1956 485 0.000117632 485 -100%
1957 605 0.000143974 11 594 -96%
1958 730 0.000176589 7 723 -98%
1959 826 0.000198654 826 -100%
1960 911 0.000219316 7 904 -98%
1961 900 0.000217271 900 -100%
1962 705 0.000174705 705 -100%
1963 656 0.000165732 656 -100%
1964 571 0.000146877 571 -100%
1965 440 0.000121364 440 -100%
1966 365 0.000105016 5 360 -97%
1967 361 0.000106336 361 -100%
1968 389 0.000115143 389 -100%
1969 432 0.000124305 432 -100%
1970 461 0.000127824 5 456 -98%
1971 520 0.000151499 520 -100%
1972 439 0.000139676 439 -100%
1973 477 0.00015811 5 472 -98%
1974 422 0.000138816 422 -100%
1975 454 0.000150361 454 -100%
1976 435 0.000143361 435 -100%
1977 421 0.000132536 421 -100%
1978 378 0.000119098 9 369 -95%
1979 345 0.000103697 345 -100%
1980 356 0.000103353 6 350 -97%
1981 333 0.00009626 333 -100%
1982 345 0.000098348 345 -100%
1983 373 0.0001077 373 -100%
1984 382 0.000109495 382 -100%
1985 416 0.000116556 416 -100%
1986 412 0.000115825 412 -100%
1987 466 0.000129243 466 -100%
1988 488 0.000132069 488 -100%
1989 451 0.000117312 451 -100%
1990 494 0.000124985 494 -100%
1991 465 0.000119376 465 -100%
1992 433 0.000112723 433 -100%
1993 494 0.000131025 494 -100%
1994 689 0.000185332 689 -100%
1995 714 0.000194967 714 -100%
1996 648 0.000177671 648 -100%
1997 643 0.000177343 643 -100%
1998 630 0.000171279 7 623 -98%
1999 603 0.000163244 603 -100%
2000 641 0.000169581 641 -100%
2001 573 0.00015307 573 -100%
2002 597 0.000159699 597 -100%
2003 519 0.000136496 519 -100%
2004 388 0.000101546 5 383 -97%
2005 330 0.000085829 330 -100%
2006 309 0.000078105 309 -100%
2007 281 0.000070291 281 -100%
2008 250 0.000063602 250 -100%
2009 213 0.000055757 213 -100%
2010 272 0.000073598 272 -100%
2011 316 0.000086391 316 -100%
2012 322 0.000088041 322 -100%
2013 321 0.00008805 321 -100%
2014 269 0.000072578 269 -100%
2015 342 0.00009241 342 -100%
2016 338 0.000092131 338 -100%
2017 355 0.000099268 355 -100%
2018 353 0.000100401 353 -100%
2019 376 0.000108328 376 -100%
2020 422 0.000126325 5 417 -98%
2021 451 0.000133119 451 -100%
2022 451 0.000133308 451 -100%
2023 492 0.000148587 492 -100%
2024 550 0.00016524 5 545 -98%

Explore other names

These names are alphabetically near to Clay:

  1. Claven
  2. Clavin
  3. Clavon
  4. Clawson
  5. Claxton
  6. Clay (this page)
  7. Claybon
  8. Clayborn
  9. Clayborne
  10. Claybourne
  11. Clayburn