How Many People Are Named Clayton?
An estimated 106,341 people in the United States have the first name Clayton. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #497 overall. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 37 years old, and Clayton peaked in popularity in 2000 with 2,577 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Clayton as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Clayton paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Clayton is overwhelmingly male, 610 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
Estimated Living Americans
106,341
About 1 in 3,223 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Male
99.6% confidence
Average Age
37
years old
Peak Year
2000
2,577 births
Total Registered
138,819
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Clayton
Clayton is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 138,819 total births registered, 99.6% were male.
Clayton as a male name
Ranked #317 in 2024
1,081 male births in 2024
Peak: 2000 (2,564 births)
Clayton as a female name
Ranked #11,397 in 2023
8 female births in 2023
Peak: 1989 (17 births)
Clayton: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Clayton span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1990s, when 21,863 babies were registered. Clayton has declined significantly from its peak in the 1990s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Clayton by Decade
How has Clayton tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 653 | 653 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 752 | 752 | 0 | |
| 1900s | 1,057 | 1,057 | 0 | |
| 1910s | 5,683 | 5,641 | 42 | |
| 1920s | 9,498 | 9,414 | 84 | |
| 1930s | 7,225 | 7,171 | 54 | |
| 1940s | 7,081 | 7,060 | 21 | |
| 1950s | 9,344 | 9,308 | 36 | |
| 1960s | 9,336 | 9,298 | 38 | |
| 1970s | 10,809 | 10,750 | 59 | |
| 1980s | 17,042 | 16,934 | 108 | |
| 1990s | 21,863 | 21,815 | 48 | |
| 2000s | 18,734 | 18,671 | 63 | |
| 2010s | 13,969 | 13,930 | 39 | |
| 2020s | 5,773 | 5,755 | 18 | |
Clayton by State
Birth registrations for Clayton span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, California, Ohio. The lowest are in Rhode Island, Delaware, Alaska. On average, about 2,618 Claytons were registered per state.
Clayton + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Clayton as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Clayton
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
Clayton: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Clayton?
We estimate approximately 106,341 people named Clayton are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 3,223 Americans share this first name.
Is Clayton a common name?
Clayton is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.5% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 138,819 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Clayton most popular?
Clayton reached peak popularity in 2000, when 2,577 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Clayton is approximately 37 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Clayton a male name?
Clayton is predominantly male. 99.6% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Clayton Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Clayton Smith, Clayton Johnson, Clayton Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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