CLAY
Clay is an English surname of Anglo‑Saxon origin, first recorded in the latter half of the twelfth century. It is associated with the British Isles, specifically England, where it is a Christian name derived from a locational or occupational reference within a community.
The name originates from the Old English word claeg, meaning clay, and appears as a topographic surname for a person who lived near clay deposits or worked with clay, for instance in pottery or in building with wattle and daub. An alternative derivation is from the Old English word clif, meaning cliff, making it a variant of the surname Cleve and a locational name for a person dwelling by a cliff or steep slope.
Historical documents record the name in several forms. The earliest instance is Ralph de Clai in the Pipe Rolls of Suffolk in 1172, during the reign of King Henry I. The Pipe Rolls of Essex record Reginald de la Claie in 1200, and the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire mention Nicholas del Clay in 1302. Later parish registers note the christening of Richard Clay on 6 February 1568 at St. Andrew by the Wardrobe, London, and of Charles, son of John Clay on 27 December 1581 at St. Dunstan’s, Stepney, London.
The family's heraldry includes a shield divided per pale into green and black, with an ermine lion rampant between three silver escallops, and a crest of a lion’s head divided per pale green and black charged with a silver escallop. The surname also appears in the spelling Claye in some records.
Typical given names associated with the Clay surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Angela
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Jane
- Jennifer
- Joanne
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Clay in...
Braille
⠉⠇⠁⠽
Morse
-.-..-...--.--
Semaphore
There are approximately 10,489 people named Clay in the UK. That makes it the 883rd most common surname in Britain. Around 161 in a million people in Britain are named Clay.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Clay
- Andrew Dice Clay - American comedian and actor
- Nicholas Clay - Actor (1946 to 2000)
- Craig Clay - Football player
- Theresa Clay - Entomologist (1911 to 1995)
- Edward Clay - Diplomat
- Jon Clay - Racing cyclist
- Bob Clay - Politician
- Johnnie Clay - Cricketer (1898 to 1973)
- Sir Henry Clay, 6th Baronet - Mathematician and computer scientist (1909 to 1985)
- John Clay - Cricketer (1924 to 2011)
- Harry Clay - Football player (1881 to 1964)
- Charles Travis Clay - Antiquarian and librarian (1885 to 1978)
- Adam Clay - Rugby league player
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.