Find out how popular the last name Klay is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Klay.

Klay, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Klay surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Klay in America

Klay is the 50960th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Klay surname appeared 409 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Klay.

We can also compare 2010 data for Klay to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Klay

The surname Klay is believed to have originated from the Middle English word "cley" or "clay", meaning a type of soil or earth. The name likely originated in areas where clay was abundant, such as parts of England, particularly in the counties of Devon and Cornwall.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Klay can be traced back to the 13th century in England. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John de Cley, who was mentioned in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Cley, Cleye, and Kley, in various historical records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 and the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379.

During the late medieval period, the name Klay was often associated with people who worked with clay or lived in areas with clay soils. For example, Richard le Cleyere, a potter, was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1348.

As time passed, variations of the name emerged, such as Klay, Klaye, and Klaye. One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Klay, a member of the English gentry in the 16th century, who owned lands in Gloucestershire.

In the 17th century, the name Klay appeared in various records, including the Parish Registers of Leicestershire and the Hearth Tax Rolls of Oxfordshire. One notable individual from this period was Thomas Klay (1616-1689), an English clergyman and author.

In the 18th century, the name Klay continued to be found in various parts of England, with some bearers of the name migrating to other parts of the British Empire, including North America and the Caribbean.

Notable individuals with the surname Klay throughout history include:

1. John de Cley (13th century), mentioned in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273.
2. Richard le Cleyere (14th century), a potter mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1348.
3. Sir John Klay (16th century), a member of the English gentry who owned lands in Gloucestershire.
4. Thomas Klay (1616-1689), an English clergyman and author.
5. William Klay (1737-1828), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Klay

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Klay.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Klay was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Klay has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Klay was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Klay, please contact us.

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