Clark (given name)


Clark or Clarke is a given name, a transferred use of the English occupational surname derived from the Latin word clericus, meaning clerk. The name has been in use as a given name in the Anglosphere since the 1600s.

Usage

Usage of the name as a given name for boys in the 17th century and 18th century in North America was inspired by well-known figures such as George Rogers Clark, a United States Revolutionary War general, and his brother William Clark, who co-led the Lewis and Clark Expedition. James Beauchamp "Champ" Clark, a failed candidate for the 1912 Democrat presidential nomination, was an influence behind increased use of the name in the United States between 1911 and 1912. The fame of the actor Clark Gable inspired additional namesakes in the 1930s. The name was at the height of its usage for American boys in 1938, coinciding with Gable's popularity. Clark Kent, the fictional alter ego of Superman, was named after Gable in 1938. The name increased in usage for American boys after Clark Kent appeared as a character in the television series Smallville, which premiered in 2001. The name Clarke, derived as a transferred use of the related surname Clarke, has also increased in usage for American girls in recent years, influenced by Clarke Betancourt, a character in the 1990 film Mo' Better Blues, and later by Clarke Griffin, a character on the television series The 100, which premiered in 2014.

People

In fiction