Clark

{{About|the surname Clark|the given name|Clark (given name)|other uses}}

{{Infobox surname

|name = Clark

|image=File:Tavernier Jean Mielot.jpg

|caption= A scribe or clerk, the occupation from which the name derives

|pronunciation =

|meaning = Clerk, scribe, secretary

|region = England

|languageorigin = Old English

|variant = Clarke, Clerk, O'Cleary, Cleary

|footnotes =Frequency Comparisons{{cite web |url=http://forebears.co.uk/surnames/clark |title=Clark Surname Meaning, Origins & Distribution |website=Forebears.co.uk |access-date=2017-06-14 |archive-date=2017-06-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170611080558/http://forebears.co.uk/surnames/clark |url-status=live }}

}}

Clark is an English language surname with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland,Clarke coat of arms, family crest and family history". irishsurnames.com. Retrieved 30 December 2007. 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". The first records of the name are found in 12th-century England. The name has many variants.{{cite web |url=http://www.surnamedb.com/surname.aspx?name=Clark |title=Surname Clark |website=Surnamedb.com |access-date=2008-02-05 |archive-date=2009-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090113214403/http://www.surnamedb.com/surname.aspx?name=Clark |url-status=live }} It is often used as the Anglicized variant of Irish O'Cleary, Cleary.

Clark is the twenty-seventh most common surname in the United Kingdom, including placing fourteenth in Scotland.{{cite web |url=http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/vital-events/births/popular-names/archive/100-most-common-surnames |title=100 Most Common Surnames | National Records of Scotland |website=Nrscotland.gov.uk |date=2014-09-25 |access-date=2017-06-14 |archive-date=2017-07-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702055850/https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/vital-events/births/popular-names/archive/100-most-common-surnames |url-status=live }} 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.United States Census Bureau (9 May 1995). s:1990 Census Name Files/dist.all.last (1-100). Retrieved on 2021-07-27. According to the 2010 United States Census, Clark was the thirtieth most frequent surname, with a count of 562,679.United States Census Bureau (October 8, 2021). [https://www.census.gov/topics/population/genealogy/data/2010_surnames.html]. Retrieved on 2025-02-11

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