The Clarke surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 68,281 people carried this name — #487 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 4,320 people counted. That is up 9% from 62,546 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Clarke surname
An English surname originating as an occupation, variant of Clark.
From Clark, from Old English clerc (“cleric, clerk”).
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Clarke» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 345 births for the Clarke name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 15,300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 18 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 212 people named Clarke.
Most of them — 153 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 13 départements, most often Paris.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
201 people named Clarke live in Switzerland.
They live in 12 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 155 people named Clarke live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Poland’s population register
114 people named Clarke have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 290 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 13 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Masovian.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 55 people named Clarke live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Brussels-Capital.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In the Nordic population registers
347 people named Clarke are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Clarke in American newspapers,
1881.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,199,303 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Clarke,
with a public archive behind them.
-
John Clarke 1609–1676 · physician -
George Clarke 1661–1736 · politician -
Alured Clarke 1696–1742 · theologian -
Elijah Clarke 1742–1799 -
John Clarke 1755–1798 · priest
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 217 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Clarke.
- Clar 320 · U.S. census
- Clara 1,099 · U.S. census
- Clare 4,309 · U.S. census
- Clarey 911 · U.S. census
- Clarin 604 · U.S. census
- Clark 562,679 · U.S. census
- Claro 1,051 · U.S. census
- Clary 11,139 · U.S. census
- Classen 1,900 · U.S. census
- Claud 601 · U.S. census
- Claude 2,033 · U.S. census
- Claudio 6,679 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Clarke is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.