Clarke

Did you know?

A few things about Clarke you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Clarke

Clarke Peters

American actor, singer, writer and director

Choose Clarke and your child shares a first name with Clarke Peters, an American actor, singer, writer and director. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Clarke, like who?” Clarke Peters's Wikipedia article is available in 27 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Clarke Peters on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Ausir, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 46,083 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Clarke, 37 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Clarke would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryClarke has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Clarkes, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1880, when it ranked #809. Today it's #3,181, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📈Then vs nowClarke is 2.5× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 114,943 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 46,083.
• 🍂TrendClarke has slipped 453 places over the last five years and now sits at #3,181. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• ⚖️Boy or girlClarke is given to both boys and girls: 79% of the 177 babies named Clarke in 2025 were girls. That makes it one of the names that truly works for either.
• 💬MeaningIn English, Clarke means “clerk”. Our records link it to English and French roots.

About the name Clarke

Clarke is a boy name of English and French origin meaning “clerk”. It has 6 letters and 1 syllable, starting with C and ending in “-rke”. US birth records list Clarke for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 124 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked #809 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #3,181, with 37 babies.

Origin:English namesFrench names