Boy name · Old English
Clayton
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: from a surname meaning clay settlementClayton is a boy's name that comes from an Old English surname meaning "clay settlement". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- From a surname meaning clay settlement
- Origin
- Old English
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #300 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Clayton
As a boy's name, Clayton comes from an Old English surname meaning "clay settlement". It is used in English.
Clayton is also a surname: the 611th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 53,875 people. See the most common last names.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
Clayton on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Clayton on 2 lists.
“Old English for settlement on clay; a polished full name”
From Redneck names for boys, southern gentleman names for boys
“Named after the clay soil it calls home”
From Worm names, punny worm names
How popular is Clayton?
- US rank in 2025
- #300
- 1,130 babies, 662 per million boys
- Best rank
- #147 in 1988
- Most babies: 2,564 in 2000
- Babies since 1880
- At least 139,344
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 596 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 659 per million |
| 1900s | 779 per million |
| 1910s | 845 per million |
| 1920s | 854 per million |
| 1930s | 679 per million |
| 1940s | 474 per million |
| 1950s | 460 per million |
| 1960s | 483 per million |
| 1970s | 651 per million |
| 1980s | 917 per million |
| 1990s | 1,120 per million |
| 2000s | 935 per million |
| 2010s | 741 per million |
| 2020s | 665 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #266 | #250 | #254 | #273 | #289 | #279 | #286 | #310 | #318 | #300 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names with a similar meaning
- MiriamForm of Mary, meaning uncertain; perhaps Egyptian beloved (Hebrew, girl)
- AaronProbably Egyptian, meaning unknown; Hebrew theories say exalted (Hebrew, boy)
- AlanMeaning uncertain; perhaps little rock, or from the Alans (Brythonic, boy)
- AthenaMeaning unknown; the Greek goddess of wisdom (Greek, girl)
- DeclanMeaning unknown, though likely begins with Old Irish dag, good (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- EvelynFrom a surname derived from the given name Aveline (English, girl)
- GrahamFrom a surname from the place name Grantham, probably gravelly homestead (Old English, boy)
- JacksonFrom a surname meaning son of Jack (English, boy)
- KennedyFrom an Irish surname, from Cennétig, armoured or misshapen head (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- MariaGreek and Latin form of Miriam, of uncertain meaning (Hebrew, girl)
- NayeliPossibly from Zapotec words meaning I love you or open (Zapotec, girl)
- NolanFrom an Irish surname derived from nuall, famous, loud (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- XimenaFeminine of Ximeno, a medieval Spanish name of uncertain meaning (Spanish, girl)
- AdairFrom a surname derived from Edgar (English, unisex)
- AmariMeaning uncertain, perhaps from Arabic Ammar (Arabic, unisex)
Middle names for Clayton
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Old English
- EdgarWealthy spear (Old English, boy)
- AlfredElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- EduardRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- StormTempest (Old English, unisex)
- AlfredoElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- EduardoRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- HarperHarp player (Old English, unisex)
- KnoxRound hill (Old English, boy)
- LindenLime tree (Old English, unisex)
- LindsayLincoln island (Old English, unisex)
- OsmundGod protector (Old English, boy)
- OswaldPower of a god (Old English, boy)
- RutherfordCattle ford (Old English, boy)
- StewartSteward (Old English, boy)
- SundayDay of the sun (Old English, unisex)
- AelfricElf ruler (Old English, boy)
- ÆlfricElf ruler (Old English, boy)
- ÆthelredNoble counsel (Old English, boy)
Clayton: common questions
What does the name Clayton mean?
Clayton comes from an Old English surname meaning "clay settlement". Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Clayton a boy or girl name?
Clayton is mainly a boy's name.
Where does the name Clayton come from?
Clayton comes from an Old English surname meaning "clay settlement". Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Clayton?
Clayton ranked #300 in the US in 2025, with 1,130 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What middle names go with Clayton?
Middle names that flow well with Clayton include Henry, Jude, Louis, Peter and Reid. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.