Clayburn
A name possibly derived from a place name meaning "a brook in a clay region".
Name Census estimates that about 98 living Americans carry the first name Clayburn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Clayburn today is around 72 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Clayburn births was 1941 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Clayburn. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Clayburn is about 72 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Clayburns were born before 1964.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Clayburn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
98
~ 1 in 3,497,493 Americans
Peak year
1941
13 babies that year
Average age
72
years old
1983 SSA rank
#5,610
Tracked since 1913
Census
Clayburn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 153 people with the first name Clayburn, which placed it at #44,840 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#44,840
National first-name rank
People counted
153
153 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
71.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clayburn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Clayburn is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Black (22.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Clayburn described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Clayburn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.2% · 109
- Black or African American22.2% · 34
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 3
- Two or more races2.0% · 3
Popularity
Clayburn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Clayburn from the 1910s through to the 1980s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 58 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Clayburn by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Clayburn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Clayburns live
Origin
Meaning and history of Clayburn
The name Clayburn is a relatively modern English name that emerged in the late 19th century. It is believed to be a combination of the word "clay," referring to the type of soil, and "burn," which was an old English word meaning a small stream or brook. This suggests that the name may have originated as a place name, potentially referring to a location near a small stream or brook with clay-rich soil.
While the exact origins of the name are unclear, it is thought to have first appeared in rural areas of England, where place names often became adopted as surnames or given names. The earliest recorded use of Clayburn as a first name dates back to the late 1800s, though it remained relatively uncommon until the 20th century.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Clayburn was Clayburn Hendricks, an American farmer born in 1872 in Virginia. Another early bearer of the name was Clayburn Stokes, a British businessman born in 1887 who owned a successful textile company in Manchester.
In the 20th century, a few notable individuals carried the name Clayburn. Clayburn Griffith (1906-1982) was an American politician who served as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates. Clayburn Goodwin (1920-1998) was a Canadian artist and sculptor known for his abstract works and wood carvings.
One of the most well-known individuals with the name Clayburn was Clayburn La Force (1925-2008), an American actor and stuntman who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout his career. He was particularly known for his work in Western movies and his expertise in horseback riding stunts.
While not as common as some other names, Clayburn has maintained a modest presence throughout the years, with a small but dedicated group of individuals bearing the name. Its unique combination of elements and connection to the natural world have likely contributed to its enduring appeal as a given name.
People
Clayburn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Clayburn as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Clayburn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Clayburn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 98 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Clayburn going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 3,497,493 US residents.
Is Clayburn a common name?
We classify Clayburn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 240 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Clayburn most popular?
The single biggest year for Clayburn was 1941, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Clayburn is about 72 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Clayburn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 153 people with the name Clayburn, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #44,840 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Clayburn in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Clayburn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Clayburn appears almost entirely male. Of the 151 people counted with this name, 100.0% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Clayburn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Clayburn is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Black (22.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Clayburn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Clayburn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.2% (109 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Clayburn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Clayburn a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Clayburn in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Clayburn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Clayburn in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Clayburn can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Clayburn as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.