Baby Name of the Day: Clark

The name Clark combines some serious Hollywood status with an every-guy image.

Thanks to Eric, our Baby Name of the Day is Clark.

WHAT DOES THE NAME CLARK MEAN?

The baby name Clark started out as an English surname. 

It was given to a scribe or possibly a priest. Think of our word cleric, from the Latin clericus. It became clerc in French, and then clerk or clark in English.

It hearkens back to medieval times, when nearly any educated man would’ve been a priest. Clark suggests a scholar or a clergyman, or some combination of both.

Over the centuries, the two concepts separated and a clerk evolved into more of an assistant in business or administration, a record-keeper or a bureaucrat.

And Clark? The surname Clark evolved even more.

LEWIS & CLARK

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.

There’s also:

• Hilda Clark, a famous nineteenth century model still seen in vintage Coca-Cola ads.
• The late 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 the American actor Clark Gable. 

Born William Clark Gable, some claim he was named after the explorer, but Clark appears elsewhere on his family tree. Since Gable’s dad was also Will, the future actor answered to his middle name from childhood. It’s a great name to see in lights.

Gable 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. In his heyday, he was known as the King of Hollywood, a towering figure at a peak movie star moment.

CLARK KENT

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

Writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster brought the character to life.

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. Movies like 2016’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice put a new spin on the story. A summer of 2025 reboot will bring yet another take 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.  Choose your favorite actor to play the role, from George Reeves to Dean Cain to Henry Cavill to David Corenswet, and chances are that he’s added something to the character’s appeal.

As a given name, the character’s creators chose Clark in homage to Gable. The name shifted from swaggering leading man to under-the-radar every guy. But it was about to shift again.

NATIONAL LAMPOON’S VACATION

In the 1980s and 90s, Chevy Chase played Clark W. Griswold, husband to Ellen and dad to Rusty and Audrey.

He took his family on a series of disastrous vacations and celebrations, and became a cultural icon.

As much as we loved the Griswolds, a station wagon-driving dad isn’t much inspiration for a baby name. 

In 2015, a movie titled just Vacation featured Ed Helms as a grown-up Rusty Griswold, with Clark as the grandpa. Rusty’s kids are James and Kevin.

And that marks an interesting shift, because while our parents’ names often feel quite dated, by the time James and Kevin have kids? Their grandparents’ names might very well seem fresh and new.

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME CLARK?

Let’s talk about Clark’s popularity.

According to the US Social Security Administration data, 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 a frosty #818.

And then, Clark staged a comeback – sort of. In 2015, it reached #372, before reversing course. As of 2024, the baby name Clark stands at #437.

What explains the ebb and flow?

As an occupation name, it fits with Carson and Carter. It’s short and strong, like Jack, Beau, and Finn. And the constant reinvention of the Superman story means that new generations are forever discovering this name.

It’s a bit like Graham or Grant. A solid choice with the right mix of tradition and history, along with a fresh sound. But somehow, the baby name Clark hasn’t ever been as popular as similar choices.

CLARK AS A GIRL’S NAME

In 2014, post-apocalyptic drama The 100 gave us a tale of a different Clarke. This Clarke? She spelled her name with an E, and survived improbable challenge after improbable challenge living her life, first on a space station, then elsewhere in the universe. 

The 100 was based on a series of young adult novels by Kass Morgan. Morgan had a knack for choosing stylish character names, and the television series boosted plenty of them: Octavia, Lincoln, Jasper, Bellamy, Wells, and Finn. 

There was a tiny uptick in the use of Clark as a girl’s name.

Clarke, on the other hand, spiked for girls. It was given to 152 girls in 2021, an all-time high for that spelling for either gender. 

After the show ended, Clarke faded, as did Clark for girls, and this name remains pretty solidly mascuilne today.

STEADY and STRONG

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 new Superman movie might provide fresh baby name inspiration for a new generation.

If you’re after something traditional, but not quite mainstream, Clark could be the perfect name.

What do you think of the baby name Clark? 

This post was originally published on July 27, 2011. It was substantially revised and re-posted on August 10, 2015 and June 26, 2025.