Clayton

KLAY·tun · 2 syllables

Clayton is comfortably familiar.

91/100

Strong Practical Fit

Balanced across pronunciation, everyday use, lifetime fit and international use.

Name Profile

Pronunciation & Spelling
Effortless
A documented English pronunciation is on file: KLAY-tun.
91/100
Everyday Use
Low risk
Shortens naturally in everyday use, to one established short form.
95/100
Growing Up
Strong lifetime fit
Works comfortably across child and adult settings.
82/100
International Use
Broad international fit
Works cleanly across the assessed languages and writing systems.
85/100

NAME DETAILS

DOCUMENTED USE: Masculine
COMMON FORMS: Clay
OTHER-LANGUAGE FORM: Cleiton

ORIGIN & HISTORY

About the name

"Clay settlement" or "clay farm/town" (from Old English "clæg", "clay," + "tun", "settlement, enclosure, farmstead"). Clayton's surname and place-name etymology ("clay settlement") is well documented and consistent across sources; no distinct mythological, religious, or literary tradition specific to the personal given name was found, so those fields are left unknown rather than invented.

POPULARITY

Clayton over time

United States

#300RANK

Rank #300 gives national context, not a classroom forecast.

Recognizable without feeling automatic. Ranked #300 in the U.S., 2025.

SourceU.S. Social Security Administration · 2025 release

Pronunciation & Forms

SAY IT

KLAY·tun

STRESS ON THE FIRST SYLLABLE

COMMON FORMS

Clay

OTHER-LANGUAGE FORMS

CleitonPT/Brazilian

PRACTICAL LIFE

How This Name Lives

AT SCHOOL & DAY TO DAY

Clayton is a two-syllable name that is straightforward for a young child to learn to say and spell, with a solid, grounded sound that ages well from childhood into adulthood.

Cultural Footprint

Clayton belongs to the well-established English surname-to-given-name tradition (alongside names like Preston, Grayson, and Clinton), transferring a topographic place-name surname meaning "clay settlement" into first-name use; it has been used as a given name since at least the 19th century.

Community Impressions

Clayton reads as classic, steady, and dependable — a traditional English surname name with a grounded, wholesome quality rather than a trend-driven modern coinage.

How this name is commonly received · not used in the score

More about Clayton

FORMALITY

Clayton functions as a complete formal given name, with the informal short form "Clay" commonly used in everyday and casual contexts.

Names around it

Clay Preston Grayson

EDITORIAL SYNTHESIS

The Decision

Clayton is spelled without unusual letter patterns, and it holds up in everyday use. Surname-dependent compatibility remains unassessed until a surname is added.

STRENGTH

A documented English pronunciation is on file. Uses standard characters that systems widely handle cleanly.

BEST FIT

Everyday Use is the strongest-scoring part of this name — no obvious nickname traps, rhymes, or initial issues detected.

FULL-NAME CHECK