Clark is used as a family name or surname in Scotland, Ireland, England. It is 5 characters long in length.

Family Name / Last Name: Clark
No. of characters: 5
Origin: Scotland, Ireland, England
Meaning:

Surname Clark is a variant form of Clary. Possibly from Cléri, near Alençon in Normandy.

The lastname is a variant of Lurie. One who came from Luria meaning "sorrowful," located in Italy.

The lastname is the variant of Cleary. Granson of Cleieach meaning "cleric or clerk".

A clergyman, scholar, scribe or recorder, a British pronunciation of clerk.

Clark is the variant of Cleary. See Clary - Possibly from Cléri, near Alençon in Normandy.

Clark is the variant of Clerk. See Clarke - Lat. clericus. French Le Clerc. A learned person - that is, one who could in old times read and write accomplishments not so rare, after all, as we are sometimes induced to think, since this is among the commonest of surnames. Clark stands 27th and Clarke 39th in the Registrar General's comparative list: and for 33,557 Smiths registered within a given period, there were 12,229 Clarks and Clarkes. Thus for every three hammermen we have at least one 'ready writer. 'If the Reg. General had reckoned Clark and Clarke as one name, it would have stood ninth in point of numerousness. As a surname, Clarke appears frequently to have aliased some other appellative; for instance the baronet family, C. of Salford, originally Woodchurch, from the parish of that name in Kent, soon after the Conquest became Clarkes (Le Clerc) in consequence of a marriage with an heiress, and the family for some generations wrote themselves "Woodchurch alias Le Clerc," and vice versa, until at length the territorial appellation succumbed to the professional one, which was right, for
"When house and land be gone and spente,
Then learning is most excellent."

Several other instances might be quoted to show that medieval bearers of the name were very proud of it, and hence, doubtless, its present numerousness. The word has several compounds in our family nomenclature, as Beauclerk, Mauclerk, Kenclarke, Petyclerk—the good, the bad, the knowing, and the little clerks, Several Domesday tenants are designated Clericus.

The lastname is the form of O'Clery. "A name," says historian D'Alton, "of the deepest historic interest in genealogy. That sept had large possessions in Tyr-hugh, their chief seat being at Kilbarron, where still remain the ruins of their castle, situated on a rock over the shore of the Atlantic, near Ballyshannon. They were highly distinguished in the native literature, and became hereditary bards and historians of the O'Donnells, Princes of Tyrconnell." To this family appropriately belonged Michael O'Clery, the diligent collector of ancient manuscripts relating to Ireland, who in the early part of the XVII century compiled the celebrated Annals of the Four Masters.

How popular is Clark?

Clark is common in United States, England, Australia, Canada, Scotland, South Africa, New Zealand, Wales, Liberia, Nigeria, Thailand, Mexico, France, Northern Ireland, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Germany, Philippines, Ireland, Panama, Cuba, Ecuador, Chile, Brazil, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, French Polynesia, Venezuela, Netherlands, Costa Rica, Bahrain, Zimbabwe, China, India, Japan, Sweden, Ivory Coast, Switzerland, Uruguay, Norway, Morocco, Honduras, Nicaragua, Russia, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Mauritius, Malaysia, Israel, Jersey, Denmark, Fiji, Swaziland, Portugal, Lesotho, Trinidad and Tobago, Cyprus.

Clark is ranked 545 on our list.

Despite the fact that the number of Clark bearers increased by 2.61 per cent in 2010 US census to 562679 since 2000, the surname slipped by 2 spots and ranked at 27. The last name was found in around 2 per thousand population. Please refer to following table for race and ethnicity.

Race 2010 2000
White 74.65 76.84
Black 19.02 18.53
Hispanic or Latino 2.58 1.68
Others 2.19 1.6
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.01 0.94
Asian and Native Hawaiian
& Other Pacific Islander		 0.54 0.41
Clark is quite popular family name mostly used in United States while Scotland is ahead in terms of density. Around 995232 people have been found who wears Clark as their family name. Clark is used widely across the globe. More detailed information can be found below:
RankCountryCount
Countries with hundred thousands of Clark:
22 United States720,224
32 England114,204
Countries with ten thousands of Clark:
28 Australia49,590
39 Canada42,977
14 Scotland23,568
Countries with thousands of Clark:
877 South Africa7,949
32 New Zealand5,668
84 Wales3,473
227 Liberia2,571
5,459 Nigeria2,323
5,301 Thailand1,527
3,432 Mexico1,497
6,212 France1,384
300 Northern Ireland1,300
3,400 Argentina1,054
Countries with hundreds of Clark:
4,846 Saudi Arabia914
4,914 Spain881
11,637 Germany866
22,880 Philippines750
1,026 Ireland668
705 Panama595
1,254 Cuba584
3,495 Ecuador582
1,820 Chile497
17,132 Brazil474
769 Jamaica467
1,461 Dominican Republic462
33 French Polynesia454
3,119 Venezuela400
8,992 Netherlands322
647 Costa Rica287
938 Bahrain264
9,642 Zimbabwe241
486 China232
95,935 India232
15,222 Japan231
3,494 Sweden222
5,450 Ivory Coast217
6,066 Switzerland187
2,093 Uruguay186
4,000 Norway177
34,956 Morocco170
1,302 Honduras161
1,282 Nicaragua153
74,969 Russia150
53 Guernsey147
67 Isle of Man146
1,898 Mauritius144
12,377 Malaysia139
7,935 Israel136
70 Jersey135
4,559 Denmark129
1,425 Fiji126
513 Swaziland126
4,225 Portugal123
3,838 Lesotho113
1,725 Trinidad and Tobago104
1,004 Cyprus101
Countries with low frequency i.e., 50 - 100:
10,792 Papua New Guinea100
57,886 Italy94
3,597 Guatemala92
241 Guam91
19,103 Belgium87
21,499 Greece86
348 Malta84
12,780 Peru80
241 United States Virgin Islands75
584 Bahamas64
2,364 Hong Kong58
7,636 Botswana55
Countries with very low frequency i.e., 10 - 50:
438 Micronesia49
9,331 Kuwait48
10,632 Iraq47
5,267 Estonia46
360 South Korea39
27,245 Austria38
37,799 Czechia36
2,016 Madagascar36
11,465 Ghana35
197,284 Indonesia35
321 Bermuda34
14,556 Finland34
255 Cayman Islands33
1,089 Iceland32
4,028 Suriname32
529 Aruba28
3,043 Guyana28
21,534 Uzbekistan27
89,279 Poland24
7,080 Taiwan23
12,360 Afghanistan21
48,075 Egypt21
11,611 Singapore21
23,275 United Arab Emirates19
1,760 Belize18
2,420 Vietnam18
14,126 Colombia17
17,235 Latvia17
4,719 New Caledonia16
16,023 Qatar16
110,069 Turkey15
2,829 El Salvador14
68,752 Kazakhstan14
179 Monaco14
4,299 Oman14
55,960 Pakistan14
13,515 Bangladesh13
40,181 Hungary13
2,549 Puerto Rico13
1,149 Barbados12
Countries with very very low frequency i.e., 6 - 10:
68,851 Belarus10
741 Gibraltar10
1,084 Antigua and Barbuda9
5,799 Sudan9
652 Northern Mariana Islands8
379 Turks and Caicos Islands8
283,701 Ukraine8
14,436 Haiti7
16,935 Jordan7
114,218 Uganda7
53,709 Algeria6
1,961 American Samoa6
125 Falkland Islands6
16,645 Lebanon6
24,029 Malawi6
34,188 Zambia6
Show Full Last Name Distribution

Immigrants to US

From Ireland

During the great famine, 66 years old gentleman William Clark who was residing in Great Britain migrated to USA on March 13, 1846 by Prince Albert put out from London. Hugh Clark, aged 20, Mary Clark, aged 17, Patt Clark, Margt. Clark (10), John Clark (30) Workman, Thomas Clark (20) Weaver, Sarah-J. Clark, aged 19, Bridget Clark (21) Maid, and 1128 other Clark around 48.4% of whom were workman while others worked as weaver and servant, farmer, mechanic, spinster, shoemaker, tailoress, blacksmith, dressmaker, baker, painter, butcher, mason, joiner, matron, miller, seamstress, lady, saddler, bricklayer, carpenter, confectioner, servant, clerk, milliner, bootmaker, turner, merchant, dairymaid, farmers &, laborers migrated to US.

From Germany

Elizabeth Clark was 23 years old when she migrated to USA on April 29, 1863. She lived in France where she worked as farmer and took New York from Bremen. Mr-H. Clark (26) Farmer, Laborer Harry Clark, Hester Clark (22), Ann Clark (22) Spinster, Mrs. Clark, aged 24, William Clark (26) Farmer, Emma Clark (11), G.Henry Clark, and 31 other Clark majority of whom were farmer and others worked as laborer and spinster, merchant migrated to US.

Clark Namesakes

  • Joe Clark, Canadian elder statesman, businessman, writer
  • Glen Clark, Canadian business executive and former politician
  • William George Clark, English classical and Shakespearean scholar
  • Ronald W. Clark, British author of biography
  • Ossie Clark, major figure in the Swinging Sixties scene in London and the fashion industry
  • Kenneth and Mamie Clark, {{cite web
  • George Bassett Clark, American instrument maker and astronomer
  • Charles Upson Clark, professor of history at Columbia University
  • Anthony John Clark, founder of applying molecular technology to farm animals
  • Thomas J. Clark, lifelong friend and partner of John K. Stewart as they built the companies that would one day be the foundation of the Stewart-Warner Corporation of Chicago
  • Galen Clark, is known as the first European American to discover the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoia trees
  • Ann Nolan Clark, American writer who won the 1953 Newbery Medal
  • Alson S. Clark, American Impressionist painter best remembered for his impressionist landscapes
  • Judith Alice Clark, American activist and convicted felon
  • Lucius C. Clark, was Chancellor of American University
  • Thomas D. Clark, American historian
  • Disappearance of F. Lewis Clark, prominent American industrialist
  • Francis Edward Clark, American clergyman
  • Kenneth Bancroft Clark,
  • Eugene V. Clark, prelate of the Archdiocese of New York
  • Hubert Lyman Clark, Hubert Lyman Clark, Ph
  • Edward Cabot Clark, American lawyer, businessman and investor
  • George W. Clark, American astronomer and professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Christopher H. Clark, congressman and lawyer from Virginia
  • Yodelin' Slim Clark, American musician known for his yodeling
  • Wilkie Clark, African-American entrepreneur and civil rights activist
  • Linwood Clark, U.S. Congressman
  • Leon Pierce Clark, American psychiatrist and psychoanalyst
  • J. P. Clark,
  • Mark A. Clark, member of the Democratic Party
  • Joe Louis Clark, former principal of Eastside High School
  • Karl Clark, American police officer
  • James West Clark, United States Representative from North Carolina
  • Holly Karrol Clark, American actress, model
  • Julia Clark, third woman to receive a pilot's license
  • Edward Severin Clark, American businessman
  • James H. Clark, American entrepreneur and computer scientist
  • Laurel Clark, American medical doctor
  • Alvan Graham Clark, American astronomer and telescope-maker
  • Alvan Clark, American astronomer and telescope maker
  • Andy Clark, professor of philosophy and Chair in Logic and Metaphysics at the University of Edinburgh
  • Gordon Clark, American philosopher and Calvinist theologian
  • Grahame Clark, British archaeologist
  • Wesley A. Clark, American physicist
  • George Norman Clark, English historian
  • John Gordon Clark, Harvard psychiatrist
  • David D. Clark, American computer scientist and Internet pioneer
  • J. Desmond Clark, British archaeologist noted particularly for his work on prehistoric Africa
  • William Bullock Clark, William Bullock Clark, Ph
  • Wilfrid Le Gros Clark, British anatomist surgeon
  • Vern Clark, retired admiral
  • Andrew Inglis Clark, Australian founding father and the principal author of the Australian Constitution; he was also an engineer
  • Kenneth Clark, British art historian, museum director
  • Jim Clark, James Clark Jr
  • Petula Clark, British singer
  • Ramsey Clark, American lawyer
  • Larry Clark, American film director, photographer
  • William Clark, American explorer, soldier, Indian agent
  • Ellery Harding Clark, American track and field athlete and a writer
  • Wesley Clark, Wesley Kanne Clark, Sr
  • Abraham Clark, American politician and Revolutionary War figure
  • Sonny Clark, American jazz pianist
  • Sally Clark, English solicitor who, in November 1999
  • Dick Clark, American radio and television personality

Clark Namesakes

  • Joe Clark, Canadian elder statesman, businessman, writer
  • Glen Clark, Canadian business executive and former politician
  • William George Clark, English classical and Shakespearean scholar
  • Ronald W. Clark, British author of biography
  • Ossie Clark, major figure in the Swinging Sixties scene in London and the fashion industry
  • Kenneth and Mamie Clark, {{cite web
  • George Bassett Clark, American instrument maker and astronomer
  • Charles Upson Clark, professor of history at Columbia University
  • Anthony John Clark, founder of applying molecular technology to farm animals
  • Thomas J. Clark, lifelong friend and partner of John K. Stewart as they built the companies that would one day be the foundation of the Stewart-Warner Corporation of Chicago
  • Galen Clark, is known as the first European American to discover the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoia trees
  • Ann Nolan Clark, American writer who won the 1953 Newbery Medal
  • Alson S. Clark, American Impressionist painter best remembered for his impressionist landscapes
  • Judith Alice Clark, American activist and convicted felon
  • Lucius C. Clark, was Chancellor of American University
  • Thomas D. Clark, American historian
  • Disappearance of F. Lewis Clark, prominent American industrialist
  • Francis Edward Clark, American clergyman
  • Kenneth Bancroft Clark,
  • Eugene V. Clark, prelate of the Archdiocese of New York
  • Hubert Lyman Clark, Hubert Lyman Clark, Ph
  • Edward Cabot Clark, American lawyer, businessman and investor
  • George W. Clark, American astronomer and professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Christopher H. Clark, congressman and lawyer from Virginia
  • Yodelin' Slim Clark, American musician known for his yodeling
  • Wilkie Clark, African-American entrepreneur and civil rights activist
  • Linwood Clark, U.S. Congressman
  • Leon Pierce Clark, American psychiatrist and psychoanalyst
  • J. P. Clark,
  • Mark A. Clark, member of the Democratic Party
  • Joe Louis Clark, former principal of Eastside High School
  • Karl Clark, American police officer
  • James West Clark, United States Representative from North Carolina
  • Holly Karrol Clark, American actress, model
  • Julia Clark, third woman to receive a pilot's license
  • Edward Severin Clark, American businessman
  • James H. Clark, American entrepreneur and computer scientist
  • Laurel Clark, American medical doctor
  • Alvan Graham Clark, American astronomer and telescope-maker
  • Alvan Clark, American astronomer and telescope maker
  • Andy Clark, professor of philosophy and Chair in Logic and Metaphysics at the University of Edinburgh
  • Gordon Clark, American philosopher and Calvinist theologian
  • Grahame Clark, British archaeologist
  • Wesley A. Clark, American physicist
  • George Norman Clark, English historian
  • John Gordon Clark, Harvard psychiatrist
  • David D. Clark, American computer scientist and Internet pioneer
  • J. Desmond Clark, British archaeologist noted particularly for his work on prehistoric Africa
  • William Bullock Clark, William Bullock Clark, Ph
  • Wilfrid Le Gros Clark, British anatomist surgeon
  • Vern Clark, retired admiral
  • Andrew Inglis Clark, Australian founding father and the principal author of the Australian Constitution; he was also an engineer
  • Kenneth Clark, British art historian, museum director
  • Jim Clark, James Clark Jr
  • Petula Clark, British singer
  • Ramsey Clark, American lawyer
  • Larry Clark, American film director, photographer
  • William Clark, American explorer, soldier, Indian agent
  • Ellery Harding Clark, American track and field athlete and a writer
  • Wesley Clark, Wesley Kanne Clark, Sr
  • Abraham Clark, American politician and Revolutionary War figure
  • Sonny Clark, American jazz pianist
  • Sally Clark, English solicitor who, in November 1999
  • Dick Clark, American radio and television personality

Related Family Names: