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Clark: Baby Name of the Day

August 10, 2015 By appellationmountain 24 Comments

ClarkThis post was originally published on July 27, 2011. It was substantially revised and re-posted on August 10, 2015.

It’s the name of a trailblazing explorer, a Hollywood leading man and Superman’s alter ego. And, of course there’s the candy bar and the Griswolds …

In honor of my dear dad, our Baby Name of the Day is Clark.

Clark: Working Man

Clark is an occupational surname, given to someone who had recording or secretarial duties. Think of our word cleric, from the Late Latin clericus. It became clerc in Old French and eventually clerk or clark in English.

Clark: Trailblazers

Back in 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set off to explore the territory acquired by the US in the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery Expedition left St. Louis in May, and reached the Pacific Ocean in November 1805.

This takes the name away from the ledger books, and into the great outdoors.

clark signThere’s also:

  • Hilda Clark, a famous nineteenth century model still seen in vintage Coca-Cola ads.
  • American Bandstand and long-time New Year’s Eve host Dick Clark.
  • Singer Petula Clark.
  • The candy bar was named for David L. Clark, an entrepreneur whose Pittsburgh company originally produced the milk chocolate and peanut butter confection.
  • Singapore’s Clarke Quay was named after a nineteenth century governor of the former British colony.

Clark: Gable

Then there’s William Clark Gable. Some claim the actor was named after the explorer, but Clark appears elsewhere on his family tree.

He started acting in the 1920s, scored an Academy Award for It Happened One Night in the 1930s, and filmed The Misfits in 1961. It would be his last movie – he died two weeks after production ended. He’s probably best known as Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind.

Clark: Kent

Gable was a major Hollywood star when DC Comics created Superman.

The Man of Steel was born on the distant, doomed planet of Krypton, and sent to Earth as a baby, where be became a Kansas farm boy called Clark Kent. He’s a major superhero, reinvented for comics and movies and television. Long-running prequel series Smallville gave us a peek at his early years in Kansas from 2001 through 2011. Now we’re waiting for 2016’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice to put a new spin on the story.

It’s worth noting that while Superman is the superhero, Kent is likable, too. Maybe that’s because of Christopher Reeve in those glasses, as a Daily Planet journalist. Or maybe it’s thanks to Tom Welling’s portrayal of the young Kent in Smallville.

ClarkClark: Vacation

In the 1980s and 90s, Chevy Chase played Clark W. Griswold. He took his family on a series of disastrous vacations. As we loved the Griswolds, a station wagon-driving dad isn’t much inspiration for a baby name. But now the movie is being rebooted. Ed Helms plays a grown-up Rusty Griswold, and Clark is the grandpa.

Clark: By the Numbers

The name has never left the US Top 1000, ranking in the 200s and 300s from the nineteenth century into the 1960s. By 2001, the name had fallen to #821.

But in recent years, Clark has made a comeback. And why not? It fits with our affection for occupational surnames, as well as short names like Cade, Cole, Gage, and Finn.

With ties to a Hollywood legend, a superhero, and the American West, it’s easy to imagine this name appealing to many parents today. The numbers bear this out. Clark reached #382 in 2014, and seems to be attracting more positive attention.

If you’re after something traditional, but not quite mainstream, Clark is one to consider.

What do you think of Clark? Is this name ready for revival?

More names you might like:

  • Baby Name of the Day: LindaBaby Name of the Day: Linda
  • Baby Name of the Day: GalenBaby Name of the Day: Galen
  • Baby Name of the Day: ClausBaby Name of the Day: Claus
  • Baby Name of the Day: CorneliaBaby Name of the Day: Cornelia
  • Baby Name of the Day: IsisBaby Name of the Day: Isis

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Comments

  1. Katie says

    August 10, 2015 at 5:24 PM

    I love Clark, but I can’t imagine it on a child. And what if the kid grew up to be shrimpy? No shrimpy Clarks!

    Reply
  2. C in DC says

    April 7, 2014 at 1:10 PM

    The female lead in the new CW show “The 100” is Clarke, based on a YA novel. This one is heading firmly into girl territory in the next 10-15 years.

    Reply
  3. C in DC says

    June 17, 2013 at 1:59 PM

    This post is showing that a reboot is needed of Lewis, Audrey, and Finn.

    Reply
  4. Heather says

    January 8, 2013 at 3:34 PM

    Clark is quickly becoming a personal favorite, after also occupational Dexter. One big plus that’s drawing me in – it’s almost a mashup of my father and my SO’s father’s names (Charles + Mark). Think I’m stretching too much? Still, Clark has a lot of wholesome, handsome, and happy charm. I hope I can convince my SO of that.

    Reply
    • appellationmountain says

      January 9, 2013 at 7:10 AM

      I think Clark works for Charles and Mark. All that really matters is that the grandfathers feel honored … And yes, Clark does feel like a happy name, doesn’t he?

      Reply
      • Heather says

        January 9, 2013 at 2:43 PM

        Candy bar + superhero + famous explorer + a handsome actor… yup. I think Clark’s happiness comes mainly from the shear amount of strong positive associations. And he’s still not that popular as a first name. The only serious issue I have with it is the lack of a good, built-in nickname or two. I hope I can get over that. I think you are missing him on your “Master List”, though.

        Reply
  5. Baby Names says

    July 28, 2011 at 4:06 AM

    Clark is really very common name for boys. I have watched many films of Clark and die hard fan.

    Reply
  6. Charlotte Vera says

    July 28, 2011 at 12:02 AM

    I like Clark, although it does rather make me think of the word clerk, pronounced to rhyme with work throughout much of North America, but said like Clark by English speakers elsewhere in the world. To be more specific, if reminds me of that famous clerk, Bob Cratchit, because of a rendition of A Christmas Carol I once saw that kept referring to the character as Scrooge’s “clark”.

    Reply
  7. Claire says

    July 27, 2011 at 7:56 PM

    My little brother is four years younger than me, and when he and his friends were eight or so, they nicknamed me Clark because it sounded like Claire, and then called me that all the time. As if they weren’t irritating enough already. So I’m afraid I won’t be using this one. 🙂

    Reply
  8. NameLover says

    July 27, 2011 at 7:23 PM

    I’ve been thinking lately that Clark would make a lovely middle name.

    Reply
  9. Elisabeth, You Can't Call It "It"! says

    July 27, 2011 at 4:19 PM

    I would love to see Clark get more attention. Funny, I went to high school with a Clark Kent look-alike and this was his surname.

    Reply
  10. Julie says

    July 27, 2011 at 3:19 PM

    I never considered Clark before. My first thought was that it feels comfy and cozy — in grandpa way. But on the other hand, I like the crispness of the double K sounds. Since I love names like Mark, Luke, Carl and I’m finding Clyde and Clarence more interesting every day… Clark is a becoming simply charming.

    Reply
  11. Liz says

    July 27, 2011 at 1:35 PM

    Clark is kind of awesome.

    Reply
  12. Virginia says

    July 27, 2011 at 1:22 PM

    I really like Clark, though I’d never use it myself. I’ve also heard it used for girls, but I only like it as a boy’s name.

    Reply
  13. Sarah A says

    July 27, 2011 at 12:01 PM

    Clark is really neat! My first thought is Clark Gable and then Clark Kent. I’m not into occupational surname names, but Clark is so cool. He really packs a lot of punch into that 1 syllable! I love the idea of naming boys Bruce and Clark 😉

    I read this aloud to my hubby and he asked why you didn’t mention Arthur C. Clarke. I guess he’s a science fiction writer.

    Reply
  14. Jocelyn says

    July 27, 2011 at 8:26 AM

    I really love the name Clark and I would try to use it for a son if we didn’t already have a Claire!

    Reply
  15. Lola says

    July 27, 2011 at 6:43 AM

    I really, really like Clark, always have. Clark is a warm, friendly name. I’d love to use it myself but I grew up. Stones thow from Clark, NJ and there was a big rivalry going on for a number of years between them and us. He’d never let me use Clark, remembering that.

    Funny, my Pop’s name is an occupational one too (Wayne)! Because of that, I keep expecting to meet little ones named so, Clark (& Wayne) feel so current!

    Reply

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