Total births
50,851
Boys' name · since 1880
Clark
50,851 babies named Clark in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1961. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #437
- among boys today
- 50,851
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Clark is the #437 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 50,851 recorded since 1880.
Clark has 50,851 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #437 as of the latest data, more common than 97% of boys, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #437 among boys today
- 50,851 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
- 97% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Clark is currently the #437 boys' name in America, more common than 97% of boys - 50,851 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #437
- among boys today
- 50,851
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other boys
Clark vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#437
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 97% of names given to boys today.
2010s
Peak decade
14% of everyone ever named Clark was born in this single decade.
1961
Single peak year
879 babies were named Clark in 1961 - its busiest year on record.
How Clark compares
50,851 Top 4% higher than 96% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Clark's all-time total is 139x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Clark | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 50,851 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 879 | 23 | 22,252 |
Clark's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Clark's full recorded timeline at 1953, 66% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 34% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1902, with just 31 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1961 peak of 879 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Clark at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1961
Current rank
#437
Active since
1880
Clark popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1961)
- 879
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Clark popularity over time - girls
354 total births recorded since 1918 (Clark as girls' name)
Clark by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Clark's strongest decade.
6,880 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 14% of all-time use.
Clark births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 513
1880s
513 births
- 1890s 505
1890s
505 births
- 1900s 502
1900s
502 births
- 1910s 2,383
1910s
2,383 births
- 1920s
1920s
2,914 births
- 1930s
1930s
3,763 births
- 1940s
1940s
5,050 births
- 1950s
1950s
6,631 births
- 1960s
1960s
6,140 births
- 1970s 2,534
1970s
2,534 births
- 1980s
1980s
3,014 births
- 1990s 2,692
1990s
2,692 births
- 2000s 2,742
2000s
2,742 births
- 2010s
2010s
6,880 births
- 2020s
2020s
4,588 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 6,880 births (14% of all-time use).
How Clark compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Clark's total volume
Clark vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Clark by state
Where Clark concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 4,186 | 8.2% |
| #2 | Texas | | 3,013 | 5.9% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 2,739 | 5.4% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 2,430 | 4.8% |
| #5 | New York | | 2,405 | 4.7% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 2,233 | 4.4% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 2,065 | 4.1% |
| #8 | Utah | | 1,667 | 3.3% |
California share of Clark's total US births 8.2%
Even split
4,186 of 50,851 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Clark appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Clark? ▼
50,851 babies have been named Clark since 1880. It currently ranks #437 among boys. The peak year was 1961 with 879 births.
When was Clark most popular? ▼
Clark was most popular in the 2010s decade with 6,880 total births. The single peak year was 1961.
Where is Clark most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Clark are California (4,186 births), Texas (3,013 births), Pennsylvania (2,739 births).
How long has the name Clark been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Clark since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Clark? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Clarence, Clayton, Claude, Clay, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Clark's data
- Clark's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (6,880 total births) through the 2020s (4,588) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Clarks (4,186 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Clark
Nearby Names Like Clark
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Clark
Clarence Boy
#1551 303,564 births
Clayton Boy
#318 139,344 births
Claude Boy
#3335 91,337 births
Clay Boy
#544 40,252 births
Clair Boy
12,041 births
Compare Clark side by side: Clark vs Clarence Clark vs Clayton Clark vs Claude
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Clark
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Clark: #437 Boys' Name - 50,851 Births, Peak 1961." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/clark. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Clark draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.