Cley as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Cley

What is the meaning of the name Cley ?

The baby name Cley is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /kleɪ/ (KLAY).

Cley is English in Origin.

Cley is an English given name and surname spelling, pronounced the same as Clay. It descends from Old English clæg, meaning “clay,” used as an occupational or topographic surname for someone who worked with clay or lived on clay-rich ground. The spelling also echoes the Norfolk place-name Cley next the Sea, anchoring it in medieval English records. As a personal name, it follows the transfer of surnames to given names common in the 19th century; the prominence of Clay was boosted by statesman Henry Clay, with Cley emerging later as a rare modern respelling.

Variants and related forms include Clay, Klay, and the longer Clayton; in Lusophone contexts, Cleyton appears. Cley sees light usage in English-speaking countries and reads as largely masculine, though contemporary tastes sometimes treat it as unisex. The name carries earthy, grounded connotations tied to its material meaning.