Clark
| Clark | |
|---|---|
| Family name | |
 A scribe or clerk, the occupation from which the name derives | |
| Meaning | Clerk, scribe, secretary |
| Region of origin | England |
| Language(s) of origin | Old English |
| Related names | Clarke, Clerk |
| Footnotes: Frequency Comparisons[1] | |
Clark is an English surname in the English language, ultimately derived from the Latin clericus meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educated. Clark evolved from "clerk". First records of the name are found in 12th century England. The name has many variants.[2]
Clark is the twenty-seventh most common surname in the United Kingdom.[1] Clark is also an occasional given name, as in the case of Clark Gable.
According to the 1990 United States Census, Clark was the twenty-first most frequently encountered surname, accounting for 0.23% of the population.[3] Notable people with the surname include:
- Abraham Clark (1725–1794), American politician and Revolutionary War figure
- Adam Clark, American meteorologist
- Alan Clark (1928–1999), British Conservative politician and author, son of Kenneth Clark
- Allen George Clark (1898–1962), British businessman
- Andy Clark (musician), British musician
- Anne Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Anne Erin Clark, better known under her stage name St. Vincent (musician) (born 1982), American singer, songwriter, and musician
- Appleton P. Clark, Jr. (1865-1955), American architect
- Augusta Clark (1932–2013), American librarian, lawyer and politician
- Babe Clark, American football player
- Benjamin S. W. Clark (1829–1912), New York politician
- Billy J. Clark (1778–1866), New York physician and politician
- Bob Clark (Benjamin "Bob" Clark) (1941–2007), American director
- Boyd A. Clark (1918-1978), American politician and jurist
- Brian Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Buddy Clark (1911–1949), American singer
- Carmel Clark (born 1965), New Zealand swimmer
- Catherine Clark (born 1976), Canadian television host
- Charles Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Chris Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Christian Clark (born 1979), Australian actor
- Claudine Clark, R&B singer and performer of the 1962 hit record "Party Lights"
- Clive Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Clive Clark (footballer) (1940–2014), English footballer
- Colin Clark (disambiguation)
- Corrie Clark (born 1982), American breaststroke swimmer
- Dallas Clark, American football player
- Daniel Clark (Canadian politician and actor), Canadian actor
- Daniel Kinnear Clark (1822–1896), British railway mechanical engineer
- Darius Clark (1798–1871), New York physician and politician
- Dave Clark (musician) (born 1942), drummer of The Dave Clark Five
- David Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Davis Wasgatt Clark (1812–1871), American Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church
- Dick Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Dick Clark (1929–2012), entertainer and producer, host of Pyramid and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve
- Douglas Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Duncan Clark (athlete) (1915–2003), Scottish hammer thrower
- Duncan W. Clark (1910–2007), American public health specialist
- Dwight Clark, American football player
- Earl Clark, American Basketball player
- Edward Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Edward Clark (1888–1962), English conductor and music producer
- Elky Clark (1898-1956), Scottish boxer of the 1920s
- Ernest Clark (1912–1994), British actor
- Eugene Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Frank Clark (footballer), English football player
- Frank M. Clark (1915–2003), American Congressman
- Gavin Brown Clark (1846–1930), MP for Caithness
- George Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Gerry Clark (1927–1999), New Zealand sailor and ornithologist
- Ginger Clark (1879–1943), American baseball pitcher
- Glenn Clark (born 1969), Canadian coach of Toronto Rock
- Grahame Clark (1907-1995), British archaeologist
- Helen Clark (born 1950), Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008
- Hilda Clark (1872–1932), American Coca-Cola advertising spokesperson
- Hilda Margery Clarke (born 1926), English painter and curator
- Horace Clark, 1830s New York politician
- Horace F. Clark (1815–1873), US Congressman from New York
- Hugh Massey Clark (1886–1956), New York philatelist
- Hulda Regehr Clark, alternative medicine practitioner
- Isabella Clark, wife of Prime Minister of Canada Sir John A. Macdonald
- Jack Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- James Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Jason Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Jeff Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Jim Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Joe Clark (born 1939), former Prime Minister of Canada
- John Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Jonas Gilman Clark (1815–1900), American businessman and the founder of Clark University
- Jonathan Clark (disambiguation)
- Joseph Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Joshua Clark, (born 1980), American writer
- Karen Clark (born 1945), American politician from Minnesota
- Karen Clark (born 1960), American gospel four-time Grammy Award winning singer
- Katy Clark (born 1967), British politician and trade union official
- Kelly Clark (born 1983), American snowboarder
- Kelly Clark (lawyer) (1957–2013), American lawyer
- Ken Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Kenneth Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Leslie J. Clark (1924–2003), British engineer and founder of Parvalux
- Louis Clark, musician and conductor with the Orchestra (former members of ELO and ELO Part II)
- Lynn G. Clark, American botanist
- Manning Clark (1915–1991), Australian historian
- Marcus R. Clark (born 1956), Louisiana Supreme Court justice
- Mark Wayne Clark (1896–1984), American Army General in WW2 (Italy) and the Korean War
- Nancy B. Clark, person of Marstons Mills, Massachusetts
- Ocky Clark (born 1960), American middle distance runner
- Orville Clark (1801–1862), New York politician
- Otey Clark (born 1915), American baseball pitcher
- R. Foster Clark, American college sports coach
- R. Scott Clark (born 1961) American seminary professor
- Ramsey Clark (born 1927), U.S. Attorney General and activist
- Ranza Clark (born 1961), Canadian middle distance runner
- Robert Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Robin Clark (pop singer), (born 1949), 1960s American pop singer
- Roger Clark, British rally driver
- Ryan Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Samuel Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Samuel Delbert Clark (1910–2003), Canadian sociologist
- Satterlee Clark, Jr., American politician
- Shawn M. Clark (born ca 1964), American organizational theorist
- Sherman Clark (1899–1980), American Olympic rower and Rear Admiral
- Simon Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Steve Clark (1960–1991), British guitarist for Def Leppard
- Stuart Clark (born 1975), Australian cricketer
- Sir Terence Clark (born 1934), British retired diplomat and writer
- Theresa Maria Clark (c. 1890 – 1953), person of New York
- Thomas Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Tom Clark (journalist), Canadian television journalist
- Tom C. Clark (1899–1977), U.S. Attorney General, U.S. Supreme Court justice
- Tracy Clark, fictional character from The CW primetime drama 90210
- Wendel Clark (born 1966), retired Canadian ice hockey player
- Wesley K. Clark (born 1944), American Army General in the Vietnam War and Kosovo
- Wilfrid Le Gros Clark (1895–1971), British palaeanthropologist
- Will Clark (born 1964), American baseball player
- William Clark (disambiguation), multiple people
- Zenas Clark (1795–1864), New York politician
See also
- Clark Kent, the civilian identity of cultural icon, Superman
- The Clark Sisters, American gospel vocalists from Detroit
- Clark (taxonomic authority)
- Clarke
- Clerke (disambiguation)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Clark Surname at Forebears
- ↑ "Surname Clark". surnamedb.com. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
- ↑ United States Census Bureau (9 May 1995). s:1990 Census Name Files dist.all.last (1-100). Retrieved on 2008-07-04.