Clarke is an Anglo-Irish surname which means "clerk". The surname is of English and Irish origin but the original word comes from Latin for clericus. There are some surname variants, including Clark and Clerk. Clarke is also uncommonly chosen as a given name.
Clarke is a popular 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".
Clarke as well as Clark is also a widespread surname in England. The English version comes from Anglo-Saxon origin and was used in the Middle Ages for the name of a scribe or secretary. The word "clerc" came from the pre 7th century Olde English "Cler(e)c" (meaning priest) originally denoted to a member of a religious order only, but later grew rapidly outside the religious order. In the Middle Ages virtually the only people who could read and write were members of the religious order, making the word heavily associated with literacy. Thus the surname became a popular term for a literate man, particularly for the professional secretary and the scholar. The English surnames "Clarke" and "Clark" are both spelling variations of the surname "Clerk".
A. Clarke, English cricketer
Adam Clarke, (1760-1832), British biblical scholar
A. E. Clarke, Victorian architect
Alan Clarke (1935–1990), British TV and film director
Allan Clarke (footballer born 1946) (born 1946), English footballer
Alexander Ross Clarke, British geodesist
Sir Arthur C. Clarke (1917–2008), author (2001: A Space Odyssey); inventor of geostationary communication satellites and the space elevator; wrote Clarke's three "laws" of prediction
Sir Ashley Clarke (1903–1994), British ambassador to Italy, founder of the Venice in Peril Fund
Austin Clarke (poet) (1896–1974), Irish
Sir Basil Clarke (1879–1947), public relations, diplomat, newspaper war correspondent
Bertie Clarke, former West Indian cricketer
Billy Clarke, Irish footballer
Bob Clarke (disambiguation), multiple people
Bobbie Clarke, rock drummer
Bobby Clarke, retired National Hockey League player
Bruce B. G. Clarke, retired US Army officer, author and consultant
Bruce C. Clarke, American General
C. Clarke, English cricketer
C. Clarke, English cricketer
Carter Clarke (born c. 1928), American Brigadier General; founder of Gemesis Corporation
Cecil Vandepeer Clarke (1897–1961), British soldier and inventor
Charles Clarke (born 1950), British politician, Home Secretary
Chris Clarke, Canadian boxer
Chris Clarke, several people
Chris Clarke (politician) (d. 2009), politician
Clem S. Clarke (1897-1967), American oilman and politician
Professor Sir Cyril Clarke (1907–2000), English physician and medical researcher
Darren Clarke, Northern Irish golfer
Drew Clarke, Australian public servant
Don Clarke (1933–2002), New Zealand Rugby Union player
Donald Clarke, American
Donald C. Clarke, American law professor
Edith Clarke (1883–1959), American electrical engineer and professor
Edmund M. Clarke, computer scientist
Ellis Clarke, Lawyer, Diplomat, Governor General, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Emilia Clarke, actress
Francis Clarke (1856–1927), Australian politician
Frank L. Clarke (b. 1933), Australian business economist
Frank Wigglesworth Clarke, geochemist
George Johnson Clarke (1857–1917), Premier of New Brunswick
George L. Clarke (1813–1890), 10th Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island
Gillian Clarke, a Welsh poet
Goland Vanhalt Clarke, British Army brigadier-general, big game hunter, naturalist
Harold Clarke (disambiguation), multiple people
Harry Clarke (1889–1931), Irish Stained glass artist and illustrator
Helen Clarke (disambiguation), several people
Henry Clarke (disambiguation), multiple people
Horace Clarke (born 1940), Virgin Islander Major League Baseball player
Hyde Clarke (1815–1895), English engineer, philologist and author
Jacob Augustus Lockhart Clarke, British neurologist
James Clarke, British composer
Jason Clarke, American actor
Jennifer Ward Clarke (1935–2015), British cellist
Jeremiah Clarke (1674–1707), English baroque composer
Jeremy Clarke (disambiguation), multiple people
John Clarke (dean of Salisbury) (1682–1757), English philosopher, mathematician, and translator; younger brother of Samuel Clarke
John Cooper Clarke (born 1949), British performance poet
John Henry Clarke (1853–1931), English homeopath
John Mason Clarke (1857–1925), American paleontologist, geologist and teacher
Katie Rose Clarke (born 1984), American musical theatre actress
Kenneth Clarke (born 1940), British politician; Chancellor of the Exchequer
Malcolm Clarke (disambiguation), multiple people
Marcus Clarke (1846–1881), Australian novelist (For the Term of his Natural Life)
Matthew Clarke, Australian rules footballer
Matthew Clarke, footballer who has played for Darlington F.C. and Bradford City A.F.C.
Matt Clarke, former football goalkeeper
Matthew Clarke, Lord Clarke
Mother Mary Frances Clarke, B.V.M., founder of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Maura Clarke (1931–1980), American nun, martyr, killed in El Salvador
Maurice Gordon Clarke, American football and baseball player and coach
Michael Clarke (cricketer) (born 1981), Australian Test Cricketer
Mitch Clarke (born 1985), Canadian mixed martial artist
Naomi Clarke, (born 1982), New Zealand soccer player
Nig Clarke (1882–1949), American baseball player
Noel Clarke, (born 1975), English actor, director and screenwriter
Oliver clarke (born sometime) Epic
Pauline Clarke (1921–2013), English writer
Peter Clarke - Bass guitar player for Karoo The South African pop band.
Peter Clarke (disambiguation), multiple people
Philip Clarke (disambiguation), multiple people
Powhatan Henry Clarke (1862–1893), United States Army First Lieutenant who was a recipient of the Medal of Honor during the Indian Wars
Ralston Clarke (born 1989), Uber senior software engineer
Rebecca Helferich Clarke (1886–1979), English chamber string music composer
Rebecca Sophia Clarke (1833–1906), American author of children's fiction
Richard A. Clarke (born 1951), American expert in counter-terrorism
Sir Richard W. B. Clarke, UK civil servant
Richard Clarke, Jamaican boxer of the 1980s and '90s
Richard Clarke (frontiersman) (1845–1930), English frontiersman and scout in the United States; inspiration for character Deadwood Dick.
Richard Clarke, (died 1634), English preacher
Robert Clarke (disambiguation), multiple people
Roger Clarke, English rugby union administrator
Rotnei Clarke (born 1989), American basketball player
Rozlyne Clarke, dance music singer
Samuel Clarke (1675–1729), English philosopher
Sharon D. Clarke (born 1966), English actress and singer
Sidney Clarke (1831–1909), American politician
Stanley Clarke (born 1951), American double bass and bass guitar musician
Stephen Clarke (journalist and novelist) (born 1958), British
Stephen Clarke (swimmer) (born 1973), UK-born, competed for Canada
Steve Clarke (born 1963), Scottish footballer, assistant manager
Susanna Clarke (born 1959), British novelist (Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell)
Sylvester Clarke, (1954– 1999), former West Indian cricketer
Theophilus Clarke, English plainter
Tom Clarke, English footballer
Tom Clarke (Irish republican) (1857–1916), executed for his part in the 1916 Rising
Troy Clarke (disambiguation), multiple people
Vince Clarke (born 1960), British musician with the band Erasure
Wayne Clarke (broadcaster) (born 1961), British Christian minister
Yvette D. Clarke (born 21 November 1964), member of the United States House of Representatives
Fictional characters:
Christian Clarke, character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by John Partridge
Isaac Clarke, main character of the Dead Space (series)
