NameRealm
Clarke

Clarke: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“clerk, scribe”
Origin
English
Say it
KLARK · 1 syllable
Used for
Both (28% girls, 72% boys since 1880)

Variant spelling of Clark, from an English surname derived from Old English and Latin clericus, meaning 'clerk' or 'scribe'. It began as an occupational name.

English namesNames meaning wisdomSurname-style namesClassic names

How popular is Clarke?

202443.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Clarke in 2024142

2024 rank#1,861 girls

Peak year2021

Total US babies since 18805,418

Clarke is rising: use over the last five years is 3.5× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Clarke

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Clarkclerk or scholar · English
  • Averyruler of elves · English
  • Riverriver · English
  • Sawyerwoodcutter · English
  • TatumTata's homestead · English
  • EmersonEmery's son · English
  • Haydenhay valley · English
  • Sagewise one; sage plant · English

Clarke questions

What does the name Clarke mean?

Clarke means "clerk, scribe". It comes from English. Variant spelling of Clark, from an English surname derived from Old English and Latin clericus, meaning 'clerk' or 'scribe'. It began as an occupational name.

Is Clarke a boy or girl name?

Clarke is used for both: about 28% of US babies named Clarke since 1880 were girls.

How popular is Clarke?

142 US babies were named Clarke in 2024. Its peak year was 2021.

How do you pronounce Clarke?

Clarke is usually pronounced KLARK.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.