Meaning of Last Name

Meaning: Clerk, scribe, secretary

Clark is an Anglo Saxon surname 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". First records of the name are found in 12th century England. The name has many variants. The name is often, especially within the British Isles, considered to be Scottish due to the name occurring more often in Scotland than many other places. Clark is the twenty-seventh most common surname in the United Kingdom. According to the 1990 United States Census, 'Clark' was the twenty-first most frequently encountered surname, accounting for 0.23% of the population. Clark is also an occasional given name.