There's an updated version of the CLAY surname at our new website, including better maps and updated information. Click/tap here to go to the new site at BritishSurnames.uk.

CLAY

AbeBooks.com. Thousands of booksellers - millions of books.

There are approximately 11,448 people named Clay in the UK. That makes it the 910th most common surname overall. Out of every million people in the UK, approximately 181 are named Clay.

Region of origin

British Isles

Country of origin

England

Language of origin

English

Religion of origin

Christian

Classification

English
Location or Geographical Feature

Related and similar surnames

Clas
Claes
Claas
Claw
Clar
Clam
Clap
Clan
Claeys
Clak
Cla
Clae
Clai
Claa
Clauy
Claey
Chlea
Chla
Claiz
Claaz
Clao
Clagh
Clais
Claeye
Clahy
Claigh
Chlae
Claaes
Clau
Claegh

The Clay surname in historical dictionaries

(origin: Local) A town of France in Seine. A lake on the isle of Lewis, Scotland. Clee, hills in Wales. Cle, left-handed, a place lying to the left, in relation to another place. Cledh, cloid, and cladd, in the Gaelic, Welsh, and British, signify a ditch, a trench, a wall; cladh, a church-yard; cledd, Welsh, a sword; Gaelic, claiheamb, from which we have Claymore, a large sword. The same word in Welsh and Gaelic that signifies a river is often applied to a sword, from their resemblance in glittering brightness.

Arthur, William (1857) An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. New York: Sheldon, Blakeman. Public Domain.

Your comments on the Clay surname