CLARKE
Recorded variant spellings include Clark E
Clarke is a long‑established English surname of occupational origin. It derives from the Latin clericus, meaning “clergyman” or “scribe”, and entered the English onomastic tradition during the medieval period.
The name reflects the status of a literate individual in a society where literacy was largely confined to the clergy and minor religious orders. In Old English the term “clerc” (originally “Cler(e)c”) denoted a priest, but as members of the lower orders were permitted to marry, their descendants inherited the occupational label as a hereditary surname. Consequently, the surname came to be applied to any person employed as a secretary, scholar or professional clerk.
Early documentary evidence for the surname appears in the Domesday Book, where a “Richerius Clericus” of Hampshire is recorded in 1086. Subsequent examples include Reginalt Clerc in the Curia Regis Rolls of Rutland (1205) and John le Clerk in the “Transcripts of Charters relating to the Gilbertine Houses” (1272). The first recorded spelling of the family name is Willelm le Clerec, dated to 1100 in the Old English Byname Register of Somerset, during the reign of King Henry I.
Variants of the name encountered in historic and modern records are Clark, Clerk and Clerke. By the seventeenth century the surname had spread to the New World, exemplified by Richard Clarke who sailed on the Mayflower in 1620. Today Clarke remains a common surname throughout the British Isles and other English‑speaking regions, retaining its original association with literacy and clerical service.
Typical given names associated with the Clarke surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Clark
- Clerk
- Clare
- Cleark
- Clarck
- Clarks
- Cler
- Clarken
- Clerc
- Clar
- Claire
- Klark
- Klauke
- Clerke
- Clarcke
- Clakre
- Calrke
- Clares
- Clarges
- Clarker
- Clarkes
- Clarkeson
- Clarkey
- Clarkin
- Clarkon
- Clarysse
- Cleares
- Clearke
- Clerck
- Clerken
- Clerks
- Cllark
- Clurk
- Clurken
- Claret
- Clarey
- Clarie
- Clarisse
- Clarkmead
- Clarksom
- Clarkson
- Clarne
- Claske
- Clayre
- Cleare
- Clearkin
- Cloarec
- Klerk
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Clarke in...
Braille
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Morse
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Clarke are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Bourbon.
There are approximately 140,673 people named Clarke in the UK. That makes it the 27th most common surname in Britain. Around 2,160 in a million people in Britain are named Clarke.
Surname type: Status name
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Clarke
- Emilia Clarke - Actress
- Kenneth Clarke - Conservative politician
- Noel Clarke - Actor
- Warren Clarke - Actor (1947 to 2014)
- Vince Clarke - Musician and actor
- John Cooper Clarke - Performance poet
- Arthur C. Clarke - Science fiction writer, science writer, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host (1917 to 2008)
- Steve Clarke - Scottish football player and manager
- Jeanie Clarke - Professional wrestling manager
- Roy Clarke - Comedy writer
- Eddie Clarke - Musician (1950 to 2018)
- Jason Clarke - Australian actor
- Jack Clarke - Football player
- Allan Clarke - Rock singer, songwriter
- Sonia Marina Clarke - Singer, musician and disc jockey
- Susanna Clarke - Author
- George Clarke - Architect, television presenter, lecturer and writer
- Allan Clarke - Football player
- Justin Clarke - Rapper
- Leon Clarke - Football player
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.