We are all familiar with the mild-mannered reporter by day who rushes into an empty phone booth somewhere and emerges as a strong superhero named Superman. If you don’t know who I’m speaking of, it’s Clark Kent. Another famous Clark is the actor
Clark Gable, the
greatest male star in the 30’s who is still remembered by today’s generation for his role as Rhett Butler in the classic "Gone with the Wind." Clark is not just a famous first name but is a popular surname as well.
Clark is an occupational name. What I meant by that is that it is a name associated to a certain job back in the day. The origin of the given name Clark actually is the Latin word “cleric” or “clerk.” A cleric or a clerk is defined as someone who is literate, a scholar. In the
Middle Ages, the "–er" in clerk was pronounced as "–ar," so any merchant or the man who kept books were called as the clark. During those times, the clergies were allowed to marry and have children, so their title as clerk (or clark) was passed on to their children and were treated as a surname.
