Clarke

This article is about surname Clarke. For other uses, see Clarke (disambiguation).

Clarke is a surname which means "clerk". The surname is of English and Irish origin and comes from the Latin clericus. Variants include Clerk[1] and Clark. Clarke is also uncommonly chosen as a given name.

Irish surname origin

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Clarke is a common surname in Ireland. The Irish version of the surname is believed to have come from County Galway and County Antrim and spread to County Donegal and County Dublin. The name is derived from the Irish Gaelic sept Ó Cléirigh, meaning "clerk".[2]

English surname origin

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Clarke, as well as Clark, is also a widespread surname in England. The English version is of Anglo-Saxon origin and was used in the Middle Ages for the name of a scribe or secretary. The word "clerc", which came from the pre-7th century Old English "Cler(e)c" (meaning priest), originally denoted a member of a religious order, but later became widespread. In the Middle Ages, virtually the only people who could read and write were members of religious orders, linking the word with literacy. Thus the surname became a popular term for a literate man, particularly for the professional secretary and the scholar.[3] The English surnames Clarke and Clark are spelling variations. Beauclerk is a related surname, from the Anglo-Norman meaning "fine scholar", and the French surname Leclerc is in the same family of names.[4]

People with the surname

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Fictional characters

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References

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  1. ^ "Last name: Clerk". Surname Database. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  2. ^ "Clarke coat of arms, family crest and family history". irishsurnames.com. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  3. ^ "Last name: Clarke". Internet Surname Database. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  4. ^ "Beauclerk Surname Origin, Meaning & Last Name History".
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