2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Clays
An English surname derived from Middle English "cleye" meaning clay.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Clays. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clays surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Clays with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Clays in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clays, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Clays
The surname CLAYS is believed to have originated from the Old English word "clæg" or "claeg", meaning "clay" or "clayey soil". This indicates that the name was likely derived from a topographical feature, referring to people who lived in an area with clay soil or worked with clay.
The name first appeared in various regions of England, particularly in counties such as Yorkshire, Cheshire, and Lancashire, where clayey soil was prevalent. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was spelled as "Clai" or "Cley".
One notable early bearer of the name was William Clays, a landowner from Yorkshire who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of 1166. Another early record comes from the Chartulary of Rievaulx Abbey, which mentions a Roger de Clays in the late 12th century.
During the medieval period, the name evolved into various spellings, such as Clays, Clayes, Claise, and Clayse, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time.
In the 16th century, the name became more widely recorded, with several notable individuals bearing the CLAYS surname. One example is John Clays (c. 1520-1592), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of Elizabeth I for his religious beliefs.
Another prominent figure was Sir Michael Clays (1568-1624), a Member of Parliament and landowner from Norfolk. He played a significant role in the draining of the Great Fen, a vast marshland in eastern England.
In the 17th century, the name CLAYS was also found in Scotland, as evidenced by the birth of John Clays (1616-1687), a Scottish minister and writer from Kinross-shire.
Moving into the 18th and 19th centuries, the CLAYS surname became more widespread across England and beyond. Notable individuals included Joseph Clays (1751-1827), an English artist and engraver, and William Clays (1786-1865), a British politician and landowner from Norfolk.
Throughout its history, the CLAYS surname has been associated with various occupations, including agriculture, pottery, and mining, reflecting the name's topographical origins and the diverse livelihoods of its bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clays
Among Census respondents with the surname Clays, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Clays bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Clays surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.3% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino12.7% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clays
Clays appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-11 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,623 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-17 bearers (-14.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,598 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 17,623 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -17 bearers (-14.3%) | Down 14,598 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Clays surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #140,157 | #154,755 | -10.4% |
| Count | 119 | 102 | -14.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clays bearers went from 119 to 102 (-14.3% change). The surname moved down 14,598 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #154,755.
FAQ
Clays surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clays?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Clays. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Clays?
Clays ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 102 people with the surname Clays. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Clays.
Has Clays become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clays went from 119 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 17 (-14.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Clays?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clays, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Clays in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.3% (86 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clays appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.3%), Hispanic (12.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Clays (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Clays mean?
An English surname derived from Middle English "cleye" meaning clay. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Clays (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Clays?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.