Clay is used as a family name or surname in Ireland, England. It is 4 characters long in length.

Family Name / Last Name: Clay
No. of characters: 4
Origin: Ireland, England
Meaning:

Dweller at the clayey place.

Several localities bear this name, but the surname must sometimes have been adopted from residence in a clayey district. The forms in the Hundred Rolls are Cley, Clai, in le Clay, del Clay, and de la Cleye. Le Clayere may be synonymous, although a Cleymanne was, according to the Promptorium Parvulorum, a dauber or plasterer.

Clay is variant form of the Clee. Parishes in counties Lincoln and Salop.

How popular is Clay?

Clay is common in United States, England, Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, Ghana, Liberia, South Africa, Wales, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, Israel, Tanzania, Scotland, Iraq, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea.

Clay is ranked 6888 on our list.

Despite the fact that the number of Clay bearers increased by 5.58 per cent in 2010 US census to 48844 since 2000, the surname slipped by 31 spots and ranked at 708. The last name was found in around 2 per ten thousand population. Please refer to following table for race and ethnicity.

Race 2010 2000
White 52.74 55.4
Black 40.5 39.83
Others 2.9 2.07
Hispanic or Latino 2.43 1.42
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.94 0.95
Asian and Native Hawaiian
& Other Pacific Islander		 0.49 0.32
Clay is quite popular family name mostly used in United States however Isle of Man is ahead in terms of density. Around 82118 people have been found who wears Clay as their family name. Clay is used widely across the globe. More detailed information can be found below:
RankCountryCount
Countries with ten thousands of Clay:
681 United States62,277
774 England10,189
Countries with thousands of Clay:
1,647 Australia2,422
4,069 Canada1,180
Countries with hundreds of Clay:
9,289 France988
1,400 New Zealand552
5,980 Ghana485
1,158 Liberia421
18,978 South Africa317
1,105 Wales310
19,796 Egypt305
29,581 Nigeria284
15,347 Kenya214
5,758 Israel202
22,657 Tanzania181
3,168 Scotland172
5,207 Iraq147
18,528 Netherlands144
9,015 Papua New Guinea118
Countries with low frequency i.e., 50 - 100:
126,162 Thailand91
67,438 Germany83
84,310 Brazil75
1,489 Solomon Islands65
108,878 Philippines62
229,403 India58
2,926 Jamaica57
35,562 Spain51
Countries with very low frequency i.e., 10 - 50:
4,783 Singapore47
2,302 Guyana43
5,959 Ireland40
34,564 Malaysia40
10,086 Portugal38
4,502 Northern Ireland33
19,302 United Arab Emirates33
122,818 DR Congo27
767 Isle of Man24
48,667 Belgium23
20,394 Denmark21
1,143 Guam21
29,271 Switzerland21
314,803 Indonesia17
3,204 Nicaragua17
30,506 Ivory Coast16
123,814 Iran15
36,578 Mexico15
58,041 Austria13
56,422 Sweden13
820 Bermuda12
110,230 Italy11
Countries with very very low frequency i.e., 6 - 10:
7,200 China10
20,027 Ecuador9
47,258 Norway8
5,222 Hong Kong6
Show Full Last Name Distribution

Immigrants to US

From Ireland

During the great famine, 25 years old farmer Josh. Clay who was residing in Great Britain migrated to USA on June 5, 1846 by Messenger put out from Liverpool. 19 years old John Clay, Jno. Clay, aged 21, 6 years old Anne Clay, Rich Clay (4), Born at sea Henry Clay, Infant Johan Clay, John Clay, aged 58, Mrs Clay, aged 62, Farmer E. Clay, Eliza Clay, aged 26, and 14 other Clay around 50% of whom were farmer while others worked as workman migrated to US.

From Germany

Carl Clay worked as tailor and hailed from Prussia. 20 years old embarked for Milwaukee from Bremen on Leocadia and arrived on May 26, 1869. Friedrich Clay (28) Laborer, 31 years old Elisa-Mme Clay, Leon Clay (26) Engineer, are other Clay that migrated to US.

Clay Namesakes

  • Green Clay, United States businessman, planter
  • Bob Clay, left-wing politician and former Labour MP
  • Frederic Clay, English composer known principally for his music written for the stage
  • Darcy Clay, New Zealand singer, songwriter and musician,
  • Edward Clay, retired British diplomat
  • Josephine Russell Clay, was one of the first significant woman thoroughbred horse breeders
  • John Morrison Clay, Kentucky thoroughbred breeder
  • Tom Clay, American radio personality and disc jockey
  • Barry Clay, gold miner from Palmer, Alaska
  • Albert Tobias Clay, American professor, historian and Semitic linguist
  • Henry Clay, Henry Clay Sr
  • Jars of Clay, Christian rock band from Nashville, Tennessee
  • Lacy Clay, William Lacy Clay Jr
  • Andrew Dice Clay, American stand-up comedian, actor, musician
  • Clement Comer Clay, eighth Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama
  • Clement Claiborne Clay, C. C. Clay, Jr
  • Lucius D. Clay, senior officer of the United States Army
  • Bill Clay, William Lacy Clay Sr
  • Nicholas Clay, English actor
  • Juanin Clay, American actress whose films included 'WarGames' and 'The Legend of the Lone Ranger'
  • Willie Clay, former American football safety
  • Judy Clay, American soul and gospel singer
  • Johnnie Clay, cricketer
  • Bryan Clay, American decathlete
  • Dick Clay, former Australian rules footballer
  • Alexander S. Clay, United States Senator from Georgia
  • Brian Clay, Australian rugby league footballer of the 1950s and 1960s
  • James Brown Clay, Democratic Party member of the United States House of Representatives
  • Ken Clay, former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher
  • Eugene Herbert Clay, mayor of Marietta, Georgia
  • Laura Clay, leader of the American women's suffrage movement
  • Mary Barr Clay, leader of the American women's suffrage movement
  • Jack Clay, American acting teacher, director and actor
  • Matthew Clay, United States Representative from Virginia
  • Joseph Clay, member of the United States House of Representatives
  • Marie Clay, distinguished researcher
  • Cecil Clay, was captain of Company K in the 58th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment
  • Betty Clay, younger daughter of Robert Baden-Powell
  • Brutus J. Clay, U.S. Representative from Kentucky
  • James Franklin Clay, U.S. Representative from Kentucky
  • Billy Clay, former American football cornerback
  • Ozzie Clay, former American football safety
  • Bert Clay, Australian rules footballer
  • Odessa Grady Clay, mother of three-time World Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali and Rahman Ali

Clay Namesakes

  • Green Clay, United States businessman, planter
  • Bob Clay, left-wing politician and former Labour MP
  • Frederic Clay, English composer known principally for his music written for the stage
  • Darcy Clay, New Zealand singer, songwriter and musician,
  • Edward Clay, retired British diplomat
  • Josephine Russell Clay, was one of the first significant woman thoroughbred horse breeders
  • John Morrison Clay, Kentucky thoroughbred breeder
  • Tom Clay, American radio personality and disc jockey
  • Barry Clay, gold miner from Palmer, Alaska
  • Albert Tobias Clay, American professor, historian and Semitic linguist
  • Henry Clay, Henry Clay Sr
  • Jars of Clay, Christian rock band from Nashville, Tennessee
  • Lacy Clay, William Lacy Clay Jr
  • Andrew Dice Clay, American stand-up comedian, actor, musician
  • Clement Comer Clay, eighth Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama
  • Clement Claiborne Clay, C. C. Clay, Jr
  • Lucius D. Clay, senior officer of the United States Army
  • Bill Clay, William Lacy Clay Sr
  • Nicholas Clay, English actor
  • Juanin Clay, American actress whose films included 'WarGames' and 'The Legend of the Lone Ranger'
  • Willie Clay, former American football safety
  • Judy Clay, American soul and gospel singer
  • Johnnie Clay, cricketer
  • Bryan Clay, American decathlete
  • Dick Clay, former Australian rules footballer
  • Alexander S. Clay, United States Senator from Georgia
  • Brian Clay, Australian rugby league footballer of the 1950s and 1960s
  • James Brown Clay, Democratic Party member of the United States House of Representatives
  • Ken Clay, former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher
  • Eugene Herbert Clay, mayor of Marietta, Georgia
  • Laura Clay, leader of the American women's suffrage movement
  • Mary Barr Clay, leader of the American women's suffrage movement
  • Jack Clay, American acting teacher, director and actor
  • Matthew Clay, United States Representative from Virginia
  • Joseph Clay, member of the United States House of Representatives
  • Marie Clay, distinguished researcher
  • Cecil Clay, was captain of Company K in the 58th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment
  • Betty Clay, younger daughter of Robert Baden-Powell
  • Brutus J. Clay, U.S. Representative from Kentucky
  • James Franklin Clay, U.S. Representative from Kentucky
  • Billy Clay, former American football cornerback
  • Ozzie Clay, former American football safety
  • Bert Clay, Australian rules footballer
  • Odessa Grady Clay, mother of three-time World Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali and Rahman Ali

Related Family Names: