Clark (given name)
 Actor Clark Gable in 1937. | |
| Gender | Primarily masculine |
|---|---|
| Language(s) | English via Latin |
| Origin | |
| Meaning | clerk |
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]
Usage
[edit]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
[edit]- Clark Accord (1961–2011), Surinamese–Dutch author and makeup artist
- Clark Adams (1969–2007), American freethought leader and activist
- Clark Aldrich (born 1967), American author and maker of educational simulations
- Clark Datchler (born 1964), English singer
- Clark Duke (born 1985), American actor
- Clark Gable (1901–1960), American film actor
- Clark Gregg (born 1962), American actor, director, screenwriter, and voice actor
- Clark Griffith (1869–1955), American Major League Baseball pitcher, manager and team owner
- Clark Howard (born 1955), American popular consumer expert and talk radio host
- Clark Johnson (born 1954), American actor and director
- Clark Kellogg (born 1961) American basketball player, analyst, and broadcaster
- Clark A. Murdock (born 1940s), senior adviser at Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
- Clark Peterson (born 1966), American film producer and entertainment executive
- Clark A. Peterson, American game designer and judge
- Clark Phillips III (born 2001), American football player
- Clark Olofsson (born 1947), a Swedish criminal
- Clark Schrontz, American football player
- Clark Smith (disambiguation), various people
- Clark Terry (1920–2015), American musician, composer, and educator
In fiction
[edit]- Clark Griswold, fictional character in the film series National Lampoon's Vacation
- Clark Kent, secret identity of Superman
- Clark Kent (Smallville), fictional character on the television series Smallville
Notes
[edit]- ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 58. ISBN 0-19-861060-2.
- ^ 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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