Clark
Clark was given to 837 boys in 2025, #377 among boys’ names; 51,205 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 34,100 Americans named Clark and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (67% of everyone recorded); the median is 37 years old and half are between 11 and 64.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Clark by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Clark mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Clark is “a male given name transferred from the surname.” Its etymology gives the sense “clergyman; learned man” (clerc).
From Old English clerc (“clergyman; learned man”), whence also clerk.
/klɑː(ɹ)k/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Clark?
#377 among boys’ names, 2025
Clark fell from #372 in 2015 to #377 in 2025 among boys’ names, although its share of boys born rose from 0.45 to 0.49 per 1,000.
883 babies in 2015, the peak
Clark peaked in 2015, when 883 babies were given it (868 boys, #372 among boys’ names). The 855 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 97% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 837 | #377 | 0.49 |
| 2024 | 726 | #437 | 0.42 |
| 2023 | 709 | #439 | 0.41 |
| 2022 | 729 | #427 | 0.42 |
| 2021 | 794 | #396 | 0.45 |
| 2020 | 793 | #387 | 0.46 |
| 2019 | 805 | #389 | 0.45 |
| 2018 | 855 | #376 | 0.47 |
| 2017 | 861 | #381 | 0.47 |
| 2016 | 867 | #378 | 0.46 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 868 | #372 | 0.45 |
| 2014 | 814 | #383 | 0.42 |
| 2013 | 617 | #456 | 0.33 |
| 2012 | 473 | #551 | 0.25 |
| 2011 | 385 | #619 | 0.20 |
| 2010 | 335 | #695 | 0.17 |
| 2009 | 336 | #708 | 0.17 |
| 2008 | 341 | #695 | 0.17 |
| 2007 | 385 | #632 | 0.19 |
| 2006 | 323 | #692 | 0.16 |
| 2005 | 245 | #792 | 0.12 |
| 2004 | 262 | #727 | 0.13 |
| 2003 | 220 | #792 | 0.11 |
| 2002 | 211 | #808 | 0.11 |
| 2001 | 201 | #817 | 0.10 |
| 2000 | 218 | #760 | 0.11 |
| 1999 | 226 | #722 | 0.12 |
| 1998 | 222 | #734 | 0.12 |
| 1997 | 245 | #667 | 0.13 |
| 1996 | 261 | #641 | 0.14 |
| 1995 | 285 | #606 | 0.15 |
| 1994 | 268 | #633 | 0.14 |
| 1993 | 264 | #634 | 0.13 |
| 1992 | 276 | #620 | 0.14 |
| 1991 | 303 | #582 | 0.15 |
| 1990 | 342 | #535 | 0.17 |
| 1989 | 341 | #518 | 0.17 |
| 1988 | 319 | #514 | 0.17 |
| 1987 | 301 | #518 | 0.16 |
| 1986 | 318 | #491 | 0.17 |
| 1985 | 284 | #517 | 0.15 |
| 1984 | 302 | #480 | 0.17 |
| 1983 | 323 | #465 | 0.18 |
| 1982 | 305 | #487 | 0.17 |
| 1981 | 260 | #521 | 0.15 |
| 1980 | 261 | #533 | 0.15 |
| 1979 | 243 | #548 | 0.14 |
| 1978 | 213 | #574 | 0.13 |
| 1977 | 256 | #512 | 0.16 |
| 1976 | 197 | #581 | 0.13 |
| 1975 | 224 | #535 | 0.14 |
| 1974 | 197 | #573 | 0.13 |
| 1973 | 227 | #522 | 0.15 |
| 1972 | 272 | #477 | 0.17 |
| 1971 | 324 | #451 | 0.18 |
| 1970 | 381 | #418 | 0.21 |
| 1969 | 411 | #387 | 0.23 |
| 1968 | 426 | #376 | 0.25 |
| 1967 | 469 | #344 | 0.27 |
| 1966 | 528 | #324 | 0.30 |
| 1965 | 624 | #300 | 0.34 |
| 1964 | 668 | #304 | 0.34 |
| 1963 | 729 | #287 | 0.36 |
| 1962 | 798 | #271 | 0.39 |
| 1961 | 879 | #268 | 0.41 |
| 1960 | 608 | #317 | 0.29 |
| 1959 | 632 | #307 | 0.30 |
| 1958 | 670 | #293 | 0.32 |
| 1957 | 638 | #299 | 0.30 |
| 1956 | 709 | #276 | 0.34 |
| 1955 | 724 | #255 | 0.35 |
| 1954 | 717 | #262 | 0.35 |
| 1953 | 646 | #273 | 0.33 |
| 1952 | 637 | #274 | 0.33 |
| 1951 | 634 | #268 | 0.34 |
| 1950 | 624 | #262 | 0.35 |
| 1949 | 595 | #273 | 0.34 |
| 1948 | 551 | #287 | 0.31 |
| 1947 | 596 | #281 | 0.33 |
| 1946 | 523 | #279 | 0.32 |
| 1945 | 424 | #289 | 0.32 |
| 1944 | 437 | #283 | 0.32 |
| 1943 | 503 | #270 | 0.35 |
| 1942 | 538 | #245 | 0.39 |
| 1941 | 456 | #263 | 0.37 |
| 1940 | 427 | #272 | 0.37 |
| 1939 | 396 | #276 | 0.36 |
| 1938 | 488 | #240 | 0.44 |
| 1937 | 433 | #260 | 0.41 |
| 1936 | 437 | #254 | 0.42 |
| 1935 | 376 | #280 | 0.36 |
| 1934 | 429 | #262 | 0.42 |
| 1933 | 370 | #273 | 0.37 |
| 1932 | 336 | #304 | 0.32 |
| 1931 | 243 | #359 | 0.23 |
| 1930 | 255 | #359 | 0.23 |
| 1929 | 243 | #367 | 0.23 |
| 1928 | 240 | #381 | 0.22 |
| 1927 | 293 | #334 | 0.26 |
| 1926 | 264 | #360 | 0.24 |
| 1925 | 272 | #358 | 0.24 |
| 1924 | 283 | #351 | 0.25 |
| 1923 | 328 | #321 | 0.30 |
| 1922 | 326 | #317 | 0.30 |
| 1921 | 357 | #301 | 0.32 |
| 1920 | 308 | #333 | 0.29 |
| 1919 | 327 | #301 | 0.33 |
| 1918 | 327 | #308 | 0.32 |
| 1917 | 345 | #275 | 0.37 |
| 1916 | 336 | #278 | 0.38 |
| 1915 | 289 | #296 | 0.34 |
| 1914 | 242 | #286 | 0.37 |
| 1913 | 191 | #289 | 0.37 |
| 1912 | 187 | #256 | 0.43 |
| 1911 | 68 | #334 | 0.30 |
| 1910 | 71 | #292 | 0.37 |
| 1909 | 51 | #321 | 0.31 |
| 1908 | 54 | #297 | 0.35 |
| 1907 | 43 | #325 | 0.29 |
| 1906 | 53 | #270 | 0.40 |
| 1905 | 48 | #287 | 0.36 |
| 1904 | 46 | #279 | 0.36 |
| 1903 | 49 | #263 | 0.41 |
| 1902 | 31 | #355 | 0.25 |
| 1901 | 52 | #238 | 0.49 |
| 1900 | 75 | #230 | 0.50 |
| 1899 | 46 | #246 | 0.43 |
| 1898 | 42 | #279 | 0.34 |
| 1897 | 58 | #226 | 0.51 |
| 1896 | 58 | #238 | 0.49 |
| 1895 | 53 | #246 | 0.45 |
| 1894 | 50 | #242 | 0.43 |
| 1893 | 50 | #247 | 0.45 |
| 1892 | 61 | #224 | 0.50 |
| 1891 | 36 | #269 | 0.36 |
| 1890 | 51 | #233 | 0.46 |
| 1889 | 51 | #228 | 0.46 |
| 1888 | 45 | #263 | 0.37 |
| 1887 | 54 | #211 | 0.53 |
| 1886 | 49 | #244 | 0.44 |
| 1885 | 45 | #245 | 0.42 |
| 1884 | 55 | #228 | 0.48 |
| 1883 | 45 | #237 | 0.43 |
| 1882 | 54 | #222 | 0.47 |
| 1881 | 66 | #176 | 0.66 |
| 1880 | 49 | #237 | 0.44 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Clark a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Clark has been given almost only to boys: 354 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Clark: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Clark, and how old are they?
34,100 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 67% of the 51,205 Americans ever recorded as Clark. The median Clark alive today is 37 years old; half are between 11 and 64.
The 2020 Census counted 32,398 people named Clark (420 women and girls, 31,978 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 32,224 born in the U.S. The Census count is 1% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 1,540 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 8,420 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 4,590 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 4,540 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 4,590 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 10,400 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Clark born?
The states with the most babies named Clark are Texas, California and Ohio, with 23% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 81 | #444 | 0.8× |
| California | 67 | #475 | 0.9× |
| Ohio | 43 | #283 | 1.0× |
| New York | 39 | #434 | 0.6× |
| Michigan | 33 | #294 | 1.1× |
| Florida | 32 | #545 | 0.7× |
| Illinois | 30 | #352 | 0.9× |
| Utah | 29 | #189 | 3.6× |
| Georgia | 28 | #410 | 0.9× |
| North Carolina | 28 | #398 | 0.7× |
Where Clark is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Clark is most over-represented in Utah: since 1910 it was given 3.6 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Clark with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 3 names spelled alike, given to 56,964 babies since 1880, Clark is the most given (90% of them). In 2025 it was given to 855 of their 1,037 babies (82%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Clark
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Clark and names like it
- Compare Clark and ClarkeBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2010sClark peaked in 2015.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Clark since 1910.
- From surnamesWiktionary’s origin for Clark: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2015The year the most babies were named Clark.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Clark alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with CMost given first.