Clarke - wikipedia Clarke This article is about surname Clarke. For other uses, see Clarke ( disambiguation ). 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 the Clerk and the correct spelling Clark which predates Clarke by overy 700 years. Clarke is also uncommonly chosen as a given name. Contents 1 Irish surname origin 2 English surname origin 3 People with the surname 4 References Irish surname origin 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 ''. English surname origin See also : Clark 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 ''. People with the surname 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 Anne Clarke ( born 1806 ), Australian theater pioneer 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 Brendan Clarke, American pilot 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 David Clarke, various individuals so named Don Clarke ( 1933 -- 2002 ), New Zealand Rugby Union player Donald Clarke, American Donald C. Clarke, American law professor Dora Clarke, ( 1895 - 1989 ), English artist Drew Clarke, Australian public servant 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 Gordon Luke Clarke ( born 1945 ), New Zealand - born 1970s fashion designer 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 John Clarke ( satirist ) ( 1948 -- 2017 ), New Zealand -- Australian satirist and actor 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 Nobby Clarke ( footballer ) ( 1907 -- 1981 ), English footballer Noel Clarke, ( born 1975 ), English actor, director and screenwriter Oliver clarke ( born sometime ) Epic Pauline Clarke ( 1921 -- 2013 ), English writer 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 ) Clarke Griffin, main character of The 100, played by Eliza Taylor References Jump up ^ `` Last name : Clerk ''. 19 September 2013. http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Clerk Jump up ^ `` Clarke coat of arms, family crest and family history ''. irishsurnames.com. Retrieved 30 December 2007. Jump up ^ `` Last name : Clarke ''. Internet Surname Database. Retrieved 19 September 2013. This page lists people with the surname Clarke. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person 's given name ( s ) to the link. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Clarke&oldid=805002206 '' Categories : Surnames Surnames of Irish origin Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from October 2013 All set index articles Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Slovenščina Edit links This page was last edited on 12 October 2017, at 13 : 05. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: where does the last name clarke originate from
Answer: Anglo-Irish