Clark

This article is about the surname Clark. For the given name, see Clark (given name). For other uses, see Clark (disambiguation).
Clark
A scribe or clerk, the occupation from which the name derives
Origin
LanguageOld English
MeaningClerk, scribe, secretary
Region of originEngland
Other names
Variant formsClarke, Clerk, O'Cleary, Cleary
Frequency Comparisons

Clark is an English language surname with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland, 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. 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.

According to the 1990 United States census, Clark was the twenty-first most frequently encountered surname, accounting for 0.23% of the population. According to the 2010 United States census, Clark was the thirtieth most frequent surname, with a count of 562,679.

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