Clay

Clay Meaning & Origin

About Clay
The surname Clay is of English origin and has multiple meanings. It can refer to someone who lived near clay deposits or worked with clay, indicating a person's occupation. Alternatively, it may have been derived from the Old English word "claeg," meaning "clay," and used as a topographic name for someone who lived near clayey soil. Additionally, Clay can also be a variant spelling of the surname "Cleve," derived from the Old English word "clif," meaning "cliff," and used as a locational name for someone who lived near a cliff or steep slope. Overall, the surname Clay is associated with occupations or geographical features related to clay or cliffs.

🌍 Origin
πŸ“ Surname Length
πŸ’¬ Number of Syllables
πŸ”  Starting Letter
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Popularity

Surname Popularity by Ethnicity

The surname Clay features prominently in our database, being among the top 1000 surnames. Explore its detailed popularity metrics and distribution:

  • Number of People with the name Clay: 48,844
  • Overall Popularity: 0.02%
  • Ranking: 708
  • Frequency per 100k people: 16.56

Below is the ethnic distribution of the surname Clay based on recent US Census records. This is a brief glimpse into the diverse backgrounds of people carrying this surname.

Ranking information for the surname Clay is not currently available.

Pronunciation

πŸ“‡ Metaphone
KL
πŸ—½ NYSIIS
CA
πŸ”Š Soundex
C400
🎡 Syllabic Pronunciation
K L EY1
🌐 IPA
/kleΙͺ/
πŸ”Š Double Metaphone
('KL', '')
🈯 Cross-Lingual Phonetic
C400

Accessibility & Communication

How to write the name Clay in Braille

Here's how to represent Clay in Braille, each pattern of raised dots corresponds to a letter in the name.

The name Clay in braille

How to sign the name Clay using Sign Language

The image below shows how you can spell Clay using American Sign Language (ASL). In sign language, each hand shape corresponds to a specific a letter of the name.

The name Clay in sign language

Numerology