Clark (given name)

Last updated
Clark
Clark Gable 1937 crop.jpg
Actor Clark Gable in 1937.
GenderPrimarily masculine
Language(s)English via Latin
Origin
Meaning clerk
William Clark, Meriwether Lewis, and Sacagawea at Three Forks, Montana, a detail of a mural by Edgar Samuel Paxson in the lobby of the Montana State Capitol. Detail Lewis & Clark at Three Forks.jpg
William Clark, Meriwether Lewis, and Sacagawea at Three Forks, Montana, a detail of a mural by Edgar Samuel Paxson in the lobby of the Montana State Capitol.

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. [1]

Contents

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 (1752–1818), a United States Revolutionary War general, and his brother William Clark (1770–1838), who co-led the Lewis and Clark Expedition. James Beauchamp "Champ" Clark (1850–1921), 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 (1901–1960) 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. [2]

People

In fiction

Notes

  1. Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 58. ISBN   0-19-861060-2.
  2. Evans, Cleveland Kent (23 May 2020). "Evans: Clark counts Superman and Gable among its famous names". omaha.com. Omaha World Herald. Retrieved 10 December 2023.

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Clarke is a given name that is a transferred use of the surname Clarke. It has been in use as a given name since the 1600s. Usage of the name Clark and its spelling variant Clarke have been influenced by well-known figures such as Clark Gable Usage for girls was influenced by the characters Clarke Betancourt, a character in the 1990 film Mo' Better Blues and later by Clarke Griffin, a character in the television series The 100, which premiered in 2014.