Unisex name · since 1880

Clarke

Clarke has 3,910 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1947 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#2,132 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#3,183 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
3,910
born since 1880
1950s
peak decade

3,910 babies have been named Clarke since 1880, making it today's #3183 unisex name.

Clarke has 3,910 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3183 as of the latest data, more common than 77% of boys, busiest in the 1950s -- 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.

  • #2,132 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #3,183 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 3,910 born since 1880
  • 1950s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Clarke ranks #2,132 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,183 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 3,910 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.

#2,132 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#3,183 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
3,910
born since 1880
1950s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%77.1%
Clarke vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Clarke's 3,910 recorded births place it above 95.31% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

13 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

13 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Clarke compares

3,910 Top 15% higher than 85% of 13,930 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

Clarke's all-time total is 11x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Clarke Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 3,910 369 358,536
Peak-year births 61 34 22,252

Clarke's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Clarke's SSA record in two at 1964 and the more recent half accounts for 47% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 53%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1881, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1947 peak of 61, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Clarke popularity over time - boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1947)
61
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
020406080 188019181934195019661982199820142025 37

Clarke popularity over time - girls

1,688 total births recorded since 1991 (Clarke as girls' name)

Unisex variant - 1,688 births
050100150200 19911996200120062011201620212025 140

Clarke by decade

1950s is the heaviest window (491 births, 13% of the file).

1950s was Clarke's strongest decade.

491 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 13% of all-time use.

Clarke births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1950s at 491 births (13% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Clarke 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 Clarke's total volume

Clarke vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8%10% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -64, 5.1%-55, 5.3%-146, 2.6%-43, 5.8%-146, 1.6%-111, 8.7%-62, 3.6%-37, 6.8%-124, 3%-81, 3.2%-146, 2.4%-144, 4.1%-29, 7.3%-146, 1.6%-109, 5.9%Clarke-146, 1.6%Clarke
Clarke vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Clarke by state

Where Clarke concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Clarke
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
153 3.9%
#2 New York
77 2.0%
#3 Texas
36 0.9%
#4 Pennsylvania
30 0.8%
#5 Illinois
17 0.4%
#6 Michigan
15 0.4%
#7 Ohio
12 0.3%
#8 Maryland
10 0.3%
California share of Clarke's total US births 3.9%
Even split

153 of 3,910 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 13 reporting states.

Clarke appears in 13 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Clarke? ▼
Clarke has been given to 3,910 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #2,132 of 45,481 among boys' names (total births, highest first). Among boys in 2025, it is #3,183 of 13,930. 61 babies were born in 1947, its single highest year.
Where does Clarke sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Clarke ranks #2,132 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,183 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Clarke most popular? ▼
Clarke was most popular in the 1950s decade with 491 total births. The single peak year was 1947.
Where is Clarke most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Clarke are California (153 births), New York (77 births), Texas (36 births).
Is Clarke a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Clarke is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 3,910 births, and as a girl's name it has 1,688 births.
How long has the name Clarke been used? ▼
Clarke has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Clarke? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Clarence, Clayton, Claude, Clark, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Clarke's data

  • Clarke's usage has stayed within range of its 1950s decade-level peak (491 total births) through the 2020s (220) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • California records the most Clarkes (153 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Clarke

Nearby Names Like Clarke

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Clarke

Clarence Boy
#1499 303,564 births
Clayton Boy
#300 139,344 births
Claude Boy
#3036 91,337 births
Clark Boy
#377 50,851 births
Clay Boy
#573 40,252 births

Compare Clarke side by side: Clarke vs Clarence Clarke vs Clayton Clarke vs Claude

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Clarke

Tim #3182
83,358 births · Peak 1960
Esau #3184
2,976 births · Peak 2007
Ted #3181
75,160 births · Peak 1958
Diamond #3185
2,564 births · Peak 1994
Kallahan #3180
132 births · Peak 2025
Manny #3186
4,087 births · Peak 2009
Khyaire #3179
160 births · Peak 2025
Walden #3187
1,527 births · Peak 2023

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Clarke: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 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).

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 Clarke 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 August 2026.