Given name & surname · also Latin
Clark
“a cleric; a clerk”
Clark is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “a cleric; a clerk.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “a cleric; a clerk.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Latin.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Clark through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 51,205
- 50,851 boys · 354 girls
- Most popular year
- 2015
- 883 babies
- 2025
- 855
- #377 for boys · #6,373 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −9%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 837 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 377 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 9.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 879 in 1961. It also appeared in 18 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (76). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 32,398 as a first name in 2020; 539,661 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Clark’s family of names
In English usage, Clark as a surname has a nickname in NOBBY. In English usage, Clark has a related form in Clarke. In English usage, Clark has a related form in Clerc.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Clark
- Clark Ashton SmithAmerican author (1893-1961)
- Clark L. HullAmerican psychologist (1884–1952)
- Clark TerryAmerican swing and bebop trumpeter (1920–2015)
- Clark DukeAmerican actorborn 1985
- Clark JohnsonAmerican-Canadian actor and directorborn 1954
- Clark CliffordAmerican secretary of defense (1906-1998)
- Clark SpencerAmerican film producerborn 1963
- Clark GraebnerUS tennis player and coachborn 1943
- Clark SmithAmerican swimmerborn 1995
Characters named Clark: Doc Savage (fictional character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Clark, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Pierce
“as solid and strong as a rock”
96% boys · 4% girls
Holden
“one who is willing and eager” · “from the hollow in the valley”
99% boys · 1% girls
Rhett
“a well-spoken man”
99% boys · 1% girls
Cade
“a precocious young woman” · “one who is round”
>99% boys
Lando
“a manly man”
>99% boys
Fedrick
Fedrick is a form of Cedric. One Welsh interpretation is “one who is kind and loved; of the spectacular bounty.”
>99% boys
Antshel
>99% boys
Nigel
“the champion”
>99% boys