Clayden
A masculine name of Old English origin meaning "valley dweller".
Name Census estimates that about 105 living Americans carry the first name Clayden. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Clayden today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Clayden births was 2009 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Clayden. 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.
People living today
105
~ 1 in 3,264,327 Americans
Peak year
2009
10 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2023 SSA rank
#11,078
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Clayden: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Clayden from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 55 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Clayden remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Clayden 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 Clayden during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Clayden
The name Clayden is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "clæg" meaning clay or clayey soil. It was initially a topographic surname, given to someone who resided near or worked with clay. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Cheshire, Lancashire, and Yorkshire.
During the medieval period, the name Clayden appeared in several historical records and documents. One notable mention is found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1199, where a person named Richard de Claydene is listed. Another early reference comes from the Curia Regis Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1221, mentioning a certain William de Claydene.
In the 14th century, a man named John Clayden was recorded as a resident of the town of Nantwich in Cheshire. He is believed to have been a potter or a brickmaker, given the connection of his name to clay. Around the same time, a religious figure named Thomas Clayden was a monk at the Benedictine monastery in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Clayden was Richard Clayden, born in 1540 in Cheshire. He was a prominent landowner and served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Wigan in 1597. In the late 16th century, a Scottish scholar named James Clayden lived in Aberdeen and authored several works on theology and philosophy.
During the 17th century, a man named William Clayden was a successful merchant and trader in London. He is mentioned in various records related to the East India Company and is believed to have amassed a considerable fortune through his overseas trade ventures. Another individual with the name, John Clayden, was a renowned clockmaker in Nottingham, known for his intricate and precise timepieces.
In the 18th century, a notable figure was Samuel Clayden, born in 1675 in Yorkshire. He was a prominent Quaker minister and author who wrote several influential works on religious and social matters. His writings were widely read and appreciated within the Quaker community of that era.
As the centuries progressed, the name Clayden continued to be present across various fields and professions. From academics and scholars to artists and inventors, individuals with this name have left their mark on history. While the name may have evolved in spelling and usage over time, its origins can be traced back to the clayey lands of medieval England.
People
Clayden + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Clayden 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
Clayden: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Clayden?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 105 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Clayden 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 3,264,327 US residents.
Is Clayden a common name?
We classify Clayden as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 106 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Clayden most popular?
The single biggest year for Clayden was 2009, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Clayden is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Clayden in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Clayden a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Clayden 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 Clayden still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Clayden 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 Clayden 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Clayden?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.