Clayton is a masculine given name of English origin. It is derived from the Old English word "claeg" which means "clay". The name Clayton is believed to have originated as an occupational surname for someone who worked with clay or lived near a clay pit.
The name Clayton has been used in England since the Middle Ages, but it did not become popular as a given name until the 20th century. It was particularly popular in the United States during the mid-20th century and is still widely used today.
There are several notable people with the name Clayton, including American actors like Clayton Moore who played the Lone Ranger on television and Clayton Rohner who appeared in films such as "The Perfect Storm". Additionally, Clayton Kershaw is a prominent Major League Baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Overall, Clayton is a strong and solid-sounding name that carries with it a historical connection to the earth itself through its clay-related origins.
Based on the statistics provided, the name Clayton has seen a varied pattern of popularity over the years in the United States. The earliest data available is from 1910, with 5 births that year. The number of births fluctuated annually until reaching a peak of 17 births in 1989.
From 1990 onwards, the popularity of the name Clayton began to decrease steadily. There were only 5 births each year from 1992 to 1995, followed by an increase to 6 births in both 1996 and 1998. The number of births then rose to 11 in 1999 and 13 in the year 2000, but it decreased again to 10 births in 2001.
The statistics show another peak in popularity for the name Clayton in recent years. There were 8 births each year from 2016 to 2019, followed by a decrease to 5 births in both 2020 and 2021, and then an increase again to 8 births in 2023.
In total, there have been 610 births of the name Clayton in the United States since the data collection began. It's interesting to observe how the popularity of a name can change over time, with peaks and troughs occurring throughout different decades.